Fans of horror and dark fantasy literature are morning the passing of Dennis Etchison; we just got word that the British Fantasy Award-winning author has passed away. He was 76-years-old. A message posted to his Facebook page reads:

“We are sad to have to confirm the very sad news that Dennis Etchison passed away last night. There are no further details, and we want to respect the privacy of his wife Kris and his loved ones during this difficult time.”

Etchison describes his work as “rather dark, depressing, almost pathologically inward fiction about the individual in relation to the world”.

Stephen King called Dennis Etchison “one hell of a fiction writer” and “the most original living horror writer in America” (The Viking-Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural).

Etchison is the author of The Dark Country, Red Dreams, The Blood Kiss, The Death Artist, and many other novels and works of short fiction. He was a remarkable writer whose talents will be sorely missed.

All of us here at Dread Central send our sincerest condolences to Etchison’s family, friends, and fans.