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ER creator and influential author Michael Crichton dies

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ER creator and influential author Michael Crichton dies
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 | 4:08 PM ET CBC News

U.S. author Michael Crichton has died in Los Angeles, his literary agent has confirmed. He was 66.

He had been waging a private battle with cancer, according to a statement from his family.

Hugely influential in pop culture, Crichton was author of The Andromeda Strain, Disclosure, Jurassic Park and The Lost World, all made into movies.

Trained as a doctor, he was the creator and executive producer of ER and director of films such as Coma. He also co-wrote the screenplay for Twister.

Crichton's books portray scientific discoveries gone awry — germ warfare in The Andromeda Strain, gene therapy in Next and mind control in The Terminal Man.

He portrayed the failure of complex systems, such as the military-industrial complex, the medical testing system and corporate science and his engineers and scientists are unfailingly arrogant.

Many of the books deal with new scientific ideas, but his own attitudes toward scientific issues such as global warming have come under heavy public criticism.

He has disputed theories about things such as nuclear winter, the dangers of second-hand smoke and the causes of global warming and termed environmentalism "a religion."

But his stories, which torqued new scientific ideas into disaster scenarios, have been made into enormously successful movies, including Congo, Sphere, Timeline and The 13th Warrior.

His family issued a statement calling his work a challenge to scientists.

"While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us — and entertained us all while doing so — his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes," the family said.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand. He did this with a wry sense of humour that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget."

Crichton directed the movies Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Runaway and Coma and since 1994 has been creator of medical series ER. He won a primetime Emmy in 1996 for the series.

Quit Harvard to travel Europe
Crichton was born Oct. 23, 1942, in Chicago, but grew up in Roslyn, N.Y. His father was a journalist.

He initially studied English literature at Harvard, but quit to travel in Europe and then returned to go to medical school.

During the period he was in medical school, he wrote A Case of Need under the pseudonym Jeffery Hudson, which won the 1969 Edgar Award for best novel. The novel is about a pathologist trying to clear a friend of malpractice after a botched abortion.

He also wrote Odds On, The Venom Business and Zero Cool under the pseudonym John Lange.

In the early 1970s, he gave up medicine and moved to Hollywood, building his reputation with the 1973 film Westworld, about robot malfunction at an amusement park. He wrote and directed the film.

Crichton became a superstar with The Andromeda Strain, but his most successful franchise was Jurassic Park, which will soon have a fourth installment. The Steven Spielberg-directed first movie is about dinosaurs, brought to life from old DNA, running riot in an amusement park.

A dinosaur, Crichtonsaurus bohlini, was named after him in honour of Jurassic Park.

Crichton is survived by his wife, Sherri, and daughter, Taylor.
 
This is too bad.

Jurassic Park was the first full length novel I had ever read. I was in Grade 4 at the time. Since then I've been a fan of his work, having read The Andromeda Strain, Congo, The Great Train Robbery, Sphere, The Lost World, and most recently Travels while on my last trip to the sandbox.

The Great Train Robbery was my favourite. I highly recommend it.
 
I enjoyed Next and State of Fear as well. 

Hopefully someone follows in his footsteps.
 
Eaters of the Dead is on my perpetual favourites list.  RIP
 
The first Chrichton work I was exposed to was "The Andromeda Strain"... in film form. It made me a dedicated reader of his works for many years. RIP.
 
Rest in peace Mr Crichton

Many good hours of reading your books - I will miss you
 
One of my favorite authors. Read all of his books.

Time to collect them and reread them again.
 
Rest Easy Mr. Crichton.

Jurassic Park was definitely an all time favorite of mine.
 
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