Ironworks Gaming Forum - A Sad Day for Sci-Fi Fans

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I just heard that Douglas Adams (creator of Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy) has died of a heart attack at age 49.
This is a real loss to the sci-fi world, a very sad piece of news.

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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

Epona of The Laughing Hyenas

Quote:

Originally posted by Epona:
I just heard that Douglas Adams (creator of Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy) has died of a heart attack at age 49.
This is a real loss to the sci-fi world, a very sad piece of news.

WHAT!!!!

Oh dear no....

That is truelly sad news.

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WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

I loved the series also. What sad news!!!

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Seeker of Truth

Quote:

http://hclark50.tripod.com/tombstone.jpg
sad indeed http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif
may he rest in peace

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Oh no!
No more Zaphod.
No more Ford Prefect..
No more... sob... http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...les/crying.gif

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Smile! Life is too short for bitching! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...s/EEhearts.gif

Fljotsdale

Sigh so sad, may he rest in peace at the last restaurant at the end of the universe...http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif

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Keldorn's Younger brother

I am going to Miss Zaphod....

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WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

RIP He will be sorely missed. "So long, Mr. Adams. And Thanks for the Fish"

The New York Times article follows.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/obit...rchpv=aponline

Date: May 12, 2001
Douglas Adams, Author of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Dies at 49
The Associated Press

Science fiction writer Douglas Adams, died today of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Filed at 8:45 a.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- Douglas Adams, whose cult science fiction comedy ``The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' drew millions of fans and spawned a mini-industry, has died at age 49.

The British-born Adams died Friday of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, Calif., his London spokeswoman, Sophie Astin, said Saturday.

The ``Hitchhiker's Guide,'' which began life as a British Broadcasting Corp. radio series in 1978, is a satirical adventure about a group of interplanetary travelers; it opens with the Earth being destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway.

It was turned into a book, which sold 14 million copies around the world, and later into a television series.

The book was followed by several sequels, including ``The Restaurant at the End of the Universe,'' ``Life, the Universe and Everything'' and ``So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish.''

The books blended satire, memorably named characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android, and witty philosophy, at one point supplying the answer to ``the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.'' The answer was 42.

Adams later recalled how he first thought of the book during a teen-age trip around Europe.

``I was hitchhiking around Europe in 1971, when I was 18, with this copy of 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to Europe,''' he said.

``At one point I found myself lying in the middle of a field, a little bit drunk, when it occurred to me that somebody should write a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It didn't occur to me that it might actually be me years later.''

The book came 24th in a poll of the top 100 books of the 20th century conducted by the Waterstone's bookstore chain and Channel 4 television.

Geoffrey Perkins, the BBC's head of comedy, called Adams ``absolutely one of the most creative geniuses to ever work in radio comedy.''

``He probably wrote one of the greatest radio comedy series ever, certainly the most imaginative,'' he added.

Born in Cambridge, England, in 1952 and educated at Cambridge University, Adams began his career as a writer and script editor at the BBC, including work on BBC TV's ``Doctor Who.''

He followed the ``Hitchhiker's Guide'' with several books about ``holistic detective'' Dirk Gently; ``Last Chance to See,'' a book about endangered species; and, with John Lloyd, the hilarious alternative dictionary ``The Meaning of Liff.''

He also founded a multimedia company, Digital Village, which produced the ``Starship Titanic'' computer game and an online travel guide inspired by the ``Hitchhiker's Guide.''

A frequent radio broadcaster on science and technology, Adams had been working for several years on a screenplay for an oft-delayed ``Hitchhiker's Guide'' movie.

In August 1996, he told a technology conference in New Orleans that the main problem in adapting the series for film was not special effects.

``It's the nature of the story, which is picaresque, which translates to one damn thing after another, and another, and another.

``It's very hard to translate that to a 100-minute feature film,'' he said. ``Every script has a beginning and a middle and an end.''

Adams married Jane Belson, a lawyer, in 1991. The couple, who had lived in Santa Barbara since 1999, had a daughter, Polly.

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Known in these Forgotten Realms as Perin LightEyes
and my girlfriends, Pamila and Pfil

[This message has been edited by RudeDawg (edited 05-12-2001).]

Quote:

Oh that IS sad news! I love his work. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif But thank you for telling us, Epona.

Cloudy, who shall get a towel and ponder Life the Universe and Everything for a spell....sigh....

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http://publish.hometown.aol.com/tobb...s/bestow~1.jpg Raindancer of the Laughing Hyenas Clan
Storm-Queen
StormCloud of the Black Knight
Heart Mind Soul Forever

RudeDawg, thanks for the article. Tis a sad, sad day for people who love his works! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif

Cloudy

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Storm-Queen
StormCloud of the Black Knight
Heart Mind Soul Forever

"DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die."

(John Donne)

Farewell, Doug! We shall miss you. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif

http://www.wizardrealm.com/images/saz1.gif

[This message has been edited by Sazerac (edited 05-12-2001).]

Very Sad, indeed. i'm just happy he made it past 42. That would have been too weird, even for him. Someone might want to post this in the book forum, if Epona hasn't already.

Henry

I COULD NOT believe what I heard this morning on the radio.

It's been said that every life, however brief, can teach us something. Until I read Douglas Adams' HitchHiker books, I thought sci-fi was all about robots and wierd techno-speak. He taught me it had a sense of humour and soul. That was a BIGGIE!

So long, and thanks ....

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Fantaghiro

A great and sad loss. - I was stunned when I heard it one the news.

I can remember listening to the tapes of Hitchhikers Guide in the car, on holiday about 10 years ago. When they finished I couldn't wait to get home and read the books, and loved them even more. It's a shame someone like that has passed on.

How sad indeed.
My son will be devastated.
And on Rex's birthday! I am sure he too will mourn our loss.

Rest In Peace Sir

http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif
Moni

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In Honor of...
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and my girlfriends, Pamila and Pfil

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A fair dinkum laughing Hyena!

Bumping respectfully

I had completely missed this thread. I met Douglas Adams three or four times in the course of my work. He really was a genuinely nice and funny man. His daughter's middle name is 'Rocket'

Epona - I now realise that the quote in your sig is from Hitchikers Guide. Did you know that he lived near the Angel, Islington? That's why all of his books contained references to the area.

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To the memory of a man who made the space look really inviting, ugly and extremely ...luny!! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif
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WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES