Photo by Beth Gwinn

Tor.com is saddened and staggered to learn of the passing of Richard Matheson, the esteemed author of I am Legend, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, Hell House, the script for the Steven Spielberg film Duel, and many Twilight Zone scripts, among many more works.

The author’s passing was first announced via a protected Facebook post [via John Shirley] by his daughter Ali Marie Matheson:

My beloved father passed away yesterday at home surrounded by the people and things he loved…he was funny, brilliant, loving, generous, kind, creative, and the most wonderful father ever…I miss you and love you forever Pop and I know you are now happy and healthy in a beautiful place full of love and joy you always knew was there…

Matheson’s son Richard Christian has posted a statement on his Facebook page, as well, informing the public that Matheson passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday.

Tor Books editor Greg Cox, Matheson’s longtime editor, upon learning the news. “For over sixty years, Richard Matheson’s imagination enriched our lives and contributed vastly to the literature and entertainment of the twentieth century. In addition, he was a true gentlemen who was never less than a pleasure to work with. We’re all lucky to have known him and his work.”

Born in New Jersey in 1926, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn, New York, published his first science fiction short story in 1950, and became an extremely prolific writer of stories and scripts between 1950 and 1971. Over the course of his career he received a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, and he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010.