Sir Arthur C Clarke dies

Sir Arthur C Clarke, the legendary science fiction writer, has died in Sri Lanka aged 90.

Arguably best known for creating the story that inspired Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Clarke was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction - as well as being one of the biggest names in science fiction, he predicted many of the technological advancements of the 20th century, such as geostationary satellites and the space shuttle.

Born in England, he went to school in Somerset, and worked on radar for the RAF in World War II. He moved to Sri Lanka in 1956, where he lived until his death.

Clarke's first sale was the tale "Rescue Mission", which appeared in John W Campbell Jr's Astounding Magazine in 1946. His novels numbered Childhood's End (1953), Rendezvous with Rama (1973) and the children's story Islands in The Sky (1952), while popular short story collections included A Fall of Moondust (1961) and The Nine Billion Names of God (1967). It was his 1948 story The Sentinel that sparked 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely regarded as one of the most important and provocative films in the history of science fiction cinema.

In 1980 Clarke found a new audience by fronting Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World, a popular ITV documentary series that investigated such Fortean phenomena as UFOs, ghosts and mysterious creatures.

Clarke's imagination, insight and talent will live on in the legacy of his work, as well as the much-quoted Clarke's Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

SFX pays its respects to a true master of science fiction.