I was driving home from the market this morning when hubby called to say that one of my favourite authors, Michael Crichton, has passed away at age 66 from throat cancer. It was a shock to me. And I must admit that I was most selfish in my initial reaction. The first thing I thought was, "Oh no, no more new books from Michael Crichton."
A medical doctor by profession, Michael Crichton was a prolific writer and filmmaker. He was most well-known for 'Jurassic Park', 'The Lost World', 'The Andromeda Strain', 'Sphere', 'Congo', 'The Great Train Robbery', 'The Terminal Man', 'State of Fear', 'Prey', 'Disclosure', 'Timeline'.....the list goes on.
He was also the creator and executive producer of the NBC program "E.R.," which began its 15-year run in 1994 and was based on his early experience in medicine. He also co-wrote 'Twister'.
He said of himself: "I was the weird kid who wrote extra assignments the teacher didn't ask for."
And.....he was a giant. At 6 feet 9, and married five times, I bet he was the one his friends and family called when they needed light bulbs replaced.
His demise is a loss to the industry and me, personally, as I would no longer be able to look forward to his next book. I'm going to miss him. My deepest condolence to his family.
