Anne Rice, author of Interview With The Vampire and over 35 other novels, has passed away at the age of 80 due to complications resulting from a stroke.
Rice's son Christopher confirmed the sad news in a social media post which also paid tribute to his remarkable mother, who was without question one of the most popular and prolific writers of all time.
“She left us almost nineteen years to the day my father, her husband Stan, died. The immensity of our family’s grief cannot be overstated. As my mother, her support for me was unconditional — she taught me to embrace my dreams, reject conformity and challenge the dark voices of fear and self-doubt. As a writer, she taught me to defy genre boundaries and surrender to my obsessive passions."
“Throughout much of her final years, your contributions to this page brought her much joy, along with a profound sense of friendship and community,” he continued. “Anne will be interred in our family’s mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony. Next year, a celebration of her life will take place in New Orleans. This event will be open to the public and will invite the participation of her friends, readers and fans who brought her such joy and inspiration throughout her life.”
Rice's most famous novel, Interview With The Vampire, spawned an entire saga known as the Vampire Chronicles, introducing the world to iconic characters such as Lestat, Louis and Armand. AMC is currently developing a small screen adaptation, and we recently learned that The Mayfair Witches is also in the works.
Rice penned the screenplay for Neil Jordan's 1994 adaptation of Interview starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.
Our thoughts go out to Anne's family and friends.