Fun_People Archive
16 Jun
Roger Zelazny

Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 12:08:28 PDT
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Roger Zelazny

Forwarded-by: mbkomor@remarque.berkeley.edu (m.b.komor)
Forwarded-by: "Joe Silva" <joe@apldbio.com>
Forwarded-by: V.SMITH@AIS1.usc.edu
Forwarded-by: k.estes@genie.geis.com

Category 39,  Topic 4 Message 304       Wed Jun 14, 1995 G.MARTIN15 [GRRM]
at 19:02 EDT

	I have been asked to post the sad news that Roger Zelazny died in
St. Vincent's Hospital in Santa Fe early this afternoon, of liver failure
brought on by colon/rectal cancer.  Jane Lindskold, his beloved friend and
companion of this past year, was with him when he died, along with his son
Trent, and several of Roger's friends from the SF community.  His other
children, his son Devon and his daughter Shannon, had sat with him for much
of the night.

	Roger had been fighting the disease with chemotherapy since it was
first diagnosed, and the tumor had been in remission for a year, but a few
months ago his condition worsened.  Roger was an intensely private man, and
told only family and a few close friends of his illness.  He remained
hopeful and optimistic until the last, and was writing right up until a few
days ago, and gaming with Jane and his friends from Santa Fe and
Albuquerque.  He had recently completed an unfinished novel based on a
fragment left by Alfred Bester, had done a CD/ROM game with Jane, and was
hard at work on a major new science fiction novel, DONNERJACK, which he was
extremely excited about.

	Many of us who knew Roger for a long time -- myself included -- had
never seen him happier or more full of life than he had been during
this past year.

	Roger had expressed the wish that his friends remember him with a
party rather than a religious service, and that is indeed what we
plan to do.  Fred and Joan Saberhagen have kindly donated their home, and
a get-together will be held there in the near future.  A date and time have
not yet been fixed, but I will post details when I have them for those in
the New Mexico area.

	For all the rest of the people who loved Roger and his work, we have
been talking about organizing a memorial service/reading/party at
one of the major upcoming conventions, most likely the World Fantasy Con in
Baltimore.  Again, I will post further details when I have them.

	Roegr was a giant, not only one of the finest writers that the genre
has ever seen, but the kindlest, gentlest, sweetest man I have ever
been fortunate enough to know.  We have lost a good one.

© 1995 Peter Langston