Michael Crichton: 1942-2008

Michael Crichton, the widely popular author of novels like Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, died unexpectedly yesterday in Los Angeles, according to a statement released by his family.

“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,” the statement said. He was 66 and had fought quietly against cancer.

Crichton, who stood at 6'9, had an M.D. from Harvard but relished work in pop culture. He wrote blockbuster novels often made even more famous by Hollywood franchises, especially the Jurassic Park series, the first two movies of which were based on his novels. Many of his other bestsellers through the ’80s and ’90s—Disclosure, Rising Sun, Sphere, Congo, Timeline—were also turned into high-profile films, many of them hits as well.

Crichton, a longtime friend of Steven Spielberg, also directed movies like Westworld, the 1973 sci-fi hit about an amusement park staffed by robots who develop an independent consciousness. He was creator of the enduring hospital drama ER, now in its 15th and final season. 

Crichton's most famous work was steeped in cautionary language about technological advances, often fanciful and ultramodern, that had grim consequences for the humans who came across them. He sometimes featured maps and appendices that expanded the scientific ends of his novels. At times that led to criticism, as with his 2004 novel State of Fear, which chagrined the authors of a study Crichton cited as part of a storyline about terrorists who use fear to push a pro-environment agenda.

Crichton was also a noted speaker in the vein, a skeptical voice about human involvement in climate change and a right-leaning purveyor of cultural disputes. He testified before the Senate about what he called dubious science in the global-warming debate in 2005, and courted harsh words for novels like Disclosure and Rising Sun, which bluntly inserted themselves into debates about sexual harassment and American economic dominance.

Crichton is survived by his wife and a teenage daughter from a previous marriage.

Related links:
MichaelCrichton.com
Michael Crichton on IMDb
Michael Circhton interview with Charlie Rose on Google Video

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