Below is a listing of members of our community who have died since the last In Memoriam list was compiled for Chicon 8 last year (since August 21, 2022). It was updated through the end of Pemmi-Con, on July 23, 2023.
You can also keep up to date by following the Worldcon In Memoriam twitter feed.
2022
Academic Celia Correas de Zapata (b.1933) died on August 21. A leading scholar of Latin American women authors, she edited the anthology Short Stories by Latin American Women: The Magic and the Real.
Fan Bruce Evry (b.1948) died on August 24. A founder of the FanTrek Club in 1981, he hosted EveCon and CastleCon for more than 20 years. He was a guest of honora t Genericon III and Balticon 55.
Artist Lily Renée (b.1921) died on August 24. During World War II, she began working for Fiction House and went on to illustrate The Werewolf Hunter and The Lost World, often under pseudonyms.
Fan James G. Huckenpöhler (b.1941) died on August 26. Huckenpöhler, who also used the nom de plume Professor Archimedes Q. Porter compiled a Barsoom glossary and frequently had articles appear in ERBzine.
Author Friedrich Tenkrat (b., 1939) died on August 27. Tenkrat published under several pseudonyms, including A.F. Morland, Brian Ford, Dean Morris, and more. Tenkrat pblished numerous books in a variety of seriesm including the Barry Belmondo books, Dave Donovan series, and Mark Baxter series.
Author Corrine De Winter died in late August. De Winter published several short stories and numerous poems. She received a Stoker Award in 2004 for her poetry collection The Women at the Funeral.
Author Bruce Taylor (b.1947) died on August 31. Taylor is the author of the novels Kafka’s Uncle, Edward: Dancing at the Edge of Infinity, and Metamorphosis Blues. His short fiction and poetry has been reprinted in several collections, including Mr. Magic Realism and The Rockin’ SkyHorse Blues.
Author Barbara Ehrenreich (b.1941) died on September 1. Best known as a journalist, Ehrenreich’s only work of fiction was the cyberpunk novel Kipper’s Game.
Physicist and author Håkan Gulliksson (b.1956) died on September 1. He began publishing science fiction in 2020 and his novels include Spelvärden, Mätvälden and the Upplaga books.
Author Philip Mann (b.1942) died on September 1. Mann published the Fit for Heroes and Gardener series. He began publishing with the novel The Eye of the Queen. In 2010, he won the Vogel Award for services to science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
Fan Margaret A. Basta (b.1951) was found dead on September 4. A Detroit fan, Basta was co-founder, with her sister, of the Star Trek club S.T.A.R. and a member of the Wayne Third Foundation.
Author Peter Straub (b.1943) died on September 4. His books included Mr. X, Koko, Floating Dragon, and many more, including collaborations with Stephen King. Straub was named a World Horror grandmaster, an IHG Living Legend, and received lifetime achievement awards from World Fantasy Con and Stoker.
Fan Larry Montgomery (b.1945) died in early September. Montgomery entered fandom in the 60s and served as official editor of ALA-APA. He chaired DeepSouthCons 2 and 3. In 1985, he received the Rebel Award and was the GoH at DeepSouthCons 38 and 50.
Comic historian Martin Barker (b.1946) died on September 8. Barker wrote the studies The Video Nasties and Comics: Ideology, Power and the Critics. He later focused on the audiences of the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Early in his career, he studied racism in children’s comics and coined the term “new racism” to describe the discussion of immigration during the Thatcher era.
Fan Nikos Theodorou (b.1956) died in early September. Theodorou served as the president of the Fantastic Club of Ioannina. Theodorou was also a fanzine editor and book collector.
Game designer Kevin Barrett (b.1963) died in early September. He was the line developer for Silent Death at ICE and later worked at Bioware on Mass Effect and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Philosopher Javier Marías (b.1951) died on September 11. Marías published three genre short stories. In 1997, he was named King of Redondo, a Carribean micronation founded by fantasy author M.P. Shiel, a title he held until his death.
Author Matthew Mather (b.1969) died on September 13. Mather wrote the Atopia Chronicles, the CyberStorm series, and the Delta Devlin series.
Fan Maureen K. Speller (b.1959) died on September 18. Speller was a book reviewer, editor, and librarian. She was involved in numerous APAs and her fanzines included Vector, Snufkin’s Bum, and Bumper Snuffkin. She was the 1998 TAFF delegate and won a Nova Award for Best Fan Writer.
Publisher Charles Partington (b.1940) died on September 20. Partington serves as editor of Alien Worlds and Something Else. He published seeral issues of New Worlds and was the co-founder of Savoy Books. He has written several short stories and one young adult novel.
Author Chandler “Chan” Davis (b.1926) died on September 22. Davis was a member of the Stranger Club, which was the Fan GoH at the 1989 Worldcon. His short fiction was collected in It Walks in Beauty
Author Hilary Mantel (b.1952) died on September 22. Best known for the Book Award winning historical novel Wolf Hall, Mantel dove into fantasy with the novels Every Day Is Mother’s Day, Fludd, and Beyond Black.
Academic Brian Catling (b.1948) died on September 26 from small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Catling published The Vorrh and its sequels as well as the novels Earwig and Hollow. He was also an artist with many exhibitions to his credit and was a professor of fine arts at Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art.
Artist Vincent Deporter (b.1959) died on September 27. Deporter started by working as an assistant to Jean Graton. He went on to work for DC on comics developed from popular cartoons and inked Batman and Superman style guides.
Fan Dorothy-Diane Wasteney (b.1948) died on September 27. “Aunty Dotty” was a member of the USS Northern Lights Starfleet chapter and was a costumer in the SF Bay Area STEAM Federation. A fan of Star Wars and Star Trek, she was also interested in the paranormal.
Comic publisher Drew Ford (b.1973) died on October 2 of COVID. He created It’s Alive and worked as a special projects editor for Marvel as well as writing for DC and Dark Horse.
Artist Kim Jung-gi(b.1975) died on October 3. Kim began publishing with Funny Funny. He published with Marvel, Spirdo Giannakis and Caurette, and Image Comics. His work has been collection in several sketch books.
Author and illustrator Jill Pinkwater (b.1941) died on October 4. Pinkwater co-wrote two stories in the Werewolf Club with her husband, Daniel Pinkwater. She also provided cover and interior art for many novels.
Author Peter Robinson (b.1950) died on October 4. Best known for his crime novels, he also wrote the fantasy novel Caedmon’s Song and some short fiction, also.
Fan Bob A. Madle (b.1920) died on October 8. Madle is believed to have been the last surviving member of the first Worldcon and the first US SF convention. He was the Fan GoH at Suncon, the 1977 Worldcon, the 1957 TAFF delegate, and was nominated for a Hugo in 1956. He co-founded PSFS, the Carolina SF Society, and First Fandom. He was awarded the Big Heart Award in 1974, was inducted into the First Fandom Hall of Fame in 1990, and won the Sam Moskowitz Archive Award in 2002. For many years he ran a mail order book company.
Publisher Donna Lucas (b.1956) died on October 10. Lucas co-published Video Watchdog and served as the magazine’s art director. She was also a film critic.
Author Feliks W. Kres (b.Witold Chmielecki, 1966) died on October 13. Kres’ work was all published in Polish, beginning with his debut story, “Król Gór” in 1991. He also wrote five novels and additional short stories. He edited multiple magazines aimed at young writers.
Astronaut James McDivitt (b.1929) died on October 13. McDivitt was in the second astronaut class and flew on Gemini 4 and Apollo 9, where he was the first person to transfer spacecraft in orbit and the first to fly the lunar module.
Author Delia Rossi (b.1980) died on October 14. Rossi was the author of several romantic fantasy novels.
Author Jay Wilburn died in mid-October following a massive stroke. Wilburn was the co-author of Hollywood Hellmouth and The Enemy Held Near as well as the author of Chivalry Is Undead and June from Seattle to Philadelphia. Many of his works were written with Armand Rosamilia.
Author Simon Roy (b.1968) died on October 15. Roy wrote the memoir Ma vie Rouge Kubrick, in which he explored his connection to Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephne King’s The Shining.
Artist Jueri Arrak (b.1936) died on October 16. And Estonian artist who painted the cover for a reprint of Gustav Meyrink’s The Green Face.
Author Tom Maddox (b.1945) died on October 18. Maddox published several short stories and the novel Halo. He co-wrote two episodes of The X-Files with William Gibson. Maddox taught at Evergreen State College.
Fan Jodie Lawhorne died on October 19. Lawhorne was slated to chair Arisia ’23 and served on Arisia’s Incident Review and Management committee.
Artist Ned Dameron (b.Edward Palfrey IV, 1943) died on October 20. Dameron worked for Donald M. Grant and Underwood-Miller in the 80s before focusing on TSR in the 1990s. He also provided pieces of art for the NolaCon II Souvenir Book.
Author Anton Donchev (b.1930) died on October 20. Donchev primarily wrote historical novels and screenplays. His foray into genre fiction was the short story “The Return.”
Author Justin E.A. Busch (b.1959) died on October 21. Both wrote the monograph The Utopian Vision of H.G. Wells as well as the short story “In the Sight of Eternity.”
Author Mike Davis (b.1946) died on October 25. Davis wrot the children’s novels Land of the Lost Mammoths and Pirates, Bats, and Dragons. He also taught urban theory and published numerous nonfiction works.
Author Donald R. Marshall (b.1934) died on October 25. Marshall taught humanities at Brigham Young University and published the children’s novel Enchantress of Crumbledown.
Author Andrey Marytanov (b.1973) died on October 30. Martyanov published numerous novels, including Conan pastiches, under the pseudonym Olaf Bjorn Loknit, although he initially claimed they were translations. He has also used the pseudonyms Utley Gunnarsson, Kirk Monroe, Gunther Reichert, as well as his own name.
Fan Stephen Smith (b) died on November 1. Smith had served as the president of the Melbourne (Australia) Science Fiction Club (MSFC). Smith was also a member of Austrek and published the zine The Zine.
Author Rico Gehrke (b.1966) died on November 2. Gehrke began publishing genre fiction in 2014 with “Testament einer Außerirdischen.” Over the next seven years, he published an additional 15 short stories, three of which were nominated for the Kurd Laßwitz Preis.
Agent Henry Morrison (b.) died on November 2. Morrison’s clients included Roger Zelazny, Samuel R. Delany, Patricia Keneally-Morrison, Dean Koontz, and Eric Van Lustbader. He started at the Scott Meredith Agency before branching out on his own.
Artist Danny Bulanadi (b.1946) died on November 3. Bulanadi has long runs on Fantastic Four and Captain America. Prior to working for Marvel, he worked for DC for several years. In the mid-90s, he inked the newspaper strip The Amazing Spider-Man.
Artist Kevin O’Neill (b.1953) died on November 3. O’Neill’s work appeared in 2000AD and he co-created Marshal Law with Pat Mills. He worked with Alan Moore on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Bookseller Michael Luckman died on November 4. In 1977, Luckman co-founded Forbidden Planet bookstore with Mike Lake and Nick Landau.
Author Michel Bühler (b.1945) died on November 7. Bühler wrote the novel Avril 1990. He published additional novels and was also a musician, releasing several albums.
Author Anne Fakhouri (b.1974) died on November 9. Fakhouri has also published under the names Elie Grimes and Hannah Bennett. Her novel Le clairvoyage won Le Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire.
Editor Sue Strong Hassler (b.1938) died on November 9 from complications from back surgery and COVID. In collaboration with her husband, Donald, Hassler co-edited the correspondence between Arthur Machen and Montgomery Evans.
Artist Carlos Pacheco Perujo (b.1961) died on November 9 from ALS. Perujo worked on Fantastic Four, X-Men, Avengers Forever, and Green Lantern.
Fan Martin Morse Wooster (b.1957) was killed in a hit-and-run on November 12. Wooster became active in fandom in the 1970s as a member of the Beloit Science Fiction and Fantasy Association. He reviewed SF for the Wall Street Journal and he was an active contributor to Ansible and File 770. He co-founded the Potomac River Science Fiction Society.
Fan Jack Plummer (b.1962) died in mid-November. Plummer was a San Diego fan who was active in Star Trek fandom and a frequent attendee of cons in the southern California region.
Bookseller Erik Arthur died on November 16. Arthur bought out Dave Gibson to become the co-owner of London’s Fantasy Centre bookstore and managed the store with partner Ted Ball until it closed in 2009.
Author David Sherman (b.1958) died on November 16. Sherman co-wrote the Starfist series as well as other novels with Dan Cragg. He wrote the first two novels of the 18th Race series and Keith R.A. DeCandido finished the final novel in the series for him. His solo novels also includes the Demontech series and The Hand of Tyr.
Author Anne Harris (b.1964) died on November 17 following a massive stroke. Harris published the novels Accidental Creatures, which won the first Spectrum Award, Inventing Memory, and the Libyrinth series. Their short story “Still Life with Boobs” was nominated for the Nebula Award. They taught at Seton Hill University. Harris also published under the names Jessica Freely and Pearl North.
Author Marcus Sedgwick (b.1968) died on November 17. Sedgwick focused on the teen and children’s markets with his titles including Floodland, My Swordhand is Singing, The Monsters We Deserve, and Midwinterblood. He also worked as a bookseller and a publisher.
Author Greg Bear (b.195) died on November 19 following a massive stroke. Bear was the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Moving Mars and “Blood Music.” He served as President of SFWA from 1988-90 and was the Worldcon Guest of Honor in 2001. In the 1970s, he helped found what became the San Diego Comic-Con International.
M.E. Kerr (b.Marijane Meaker,1927) died on November 21. Kerr’s genre works included Shoebag, The Shuteyes, and Little Little. She also published under the names Mary James and Vin Packer. Kerr was often credited for launching the lesbian pulp fiction genre.
Artist Vic Carrabotta (b.1929) died on November 22. Carrabutta worked for Atlas Comics drawing horror comics. He continued to work for them once they became Marvel. He left the field in 1958 to work in advertising.
Author Hans Magnus Enzensberger (b.1929) died on November 24. In addition to working as a critic, Enzensberger published the novels Der Zahlenteufel and Wo warst du, Robert?, both of which were translated into English.
Author Ray Nelson (b.Radell Faraday Nelson, 1931) died on November 30. Nelson began publishing science fiction in 1963 with “Turn Off the Sky.” His story “Eight O’Clock in the Morning” was adapted into the film They Live. His first novel, The Ganymede Takeover, was co-written with Philip K. Dick. When Nelson was a teenager, he introduced the propeller beanie to fandom. He is the recipient of a Rotsler Award and has been inducted into the First Fandom Hall of Fame.
Fan Hania Wojtowicz died on November 30. Wojtowicz was a frequent Worldcon attendee and often col dbe found at the CFG Suite despite not being from Cincinnati.
Fan Timothy Sherburn died in November. Sherburn was a frequent con-goer, attending numerous Worldcons.
Author Jay Faulkner committed suicide on December 1. Faulkner ran the small press Four Parts Press and was the author of several short stories since 2010.
Dominique Lapierre (b.1931) died on December 4. Lapierre was primarily a journalist, but wrote several novels in conjunction with Larry Collins, including the thriller The Fifth Horseman.
Artist Richard Bober (b.1943) died on December 10. Bober’s work appeared on the covers of numerous novels beginning in the 1970s, including cover art for several of Gene Wolfe’s novels, Kara Dalkey’s Blood of the Goddess series, and Susan Shwartz’s Shards of Empire.
Artist Peter Goodfellow (b.1950) died on December 11. Goodfellow provided covers for Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Olaf Stapledon in the 70s and 80s before turning his attention to landscapes
Kim Mohan (b.1949) died on December 11. Mohan serves as editor for gaming magazines Ares and Dragon and later fiction magazine Amazing Stories. He edited two Amazing Stories anthologies and wrote the Cyborg Commando trilogy with Pamela O’Neill.
Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt (b.1927) died on December 11. Schönfeldt wrote a biography of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.
Author and artist Graham Oakley (b.1929) died on December 19. Oakley was the author and illustrator of the children’s The Church Mouse series. He also did the cover for Tanith Lee’s The Dragon Hoard.
Artist Jason Pearson (b.1970) died on December 19. Pearson was one of the founding members of Gaijin Studios and wrote the series Body Bags. He also worked for DC and Marvel co-creating the character X-Cutioner.
Fan Erica Van Dommemen Ginter (b.1956). Ginter was a former president of the Washington Science Fiction Association and served in other offices for that organization. She has also worked as a proofreader for Old Earth Books.
Fan Greg Bilan died in late December. Bilan was a patron saint of LASFS. He was awarded the Evans-Freehafer Trophy in 1999 and co-chaired Lost in La-La Space in 2004.
Fan Paula Helm Murray (b.1956) died on December 28. Murray was long active in Kansas City fandom and was a guest of honor at Archon 27, Conestoga 9, and SFContario 5. She also had stories published in Sword and Sorceress, Eldritch Tales, and MZB’s Fantasy.
Author Marjorie Nelson (b.1939) died on December 29. Nelson published the Star Trek novel Parns and Symbols in 1985 under the byline Majliss Larson.
Comic writer Lou Mougin (b.1954) died on December 31. Mougin was an historian of the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age and involved with the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe. Mougin wrote comics for Marvel and other publishers.
Game designer Darren Watts (b.) died on December 31. Watts founded DOJ in 2001 to purchase the rights to Champions and helped revitalize Hero Games. He also wrote for Star Trek and Doctor Who RPGs. He also did work for Chaosium Games.
Author Frank Lauria (b.1935) died in December. Lauria was the author of the Dr. Owen Orient series as well as the novels End of Days, The Foundling, and Dark City. He wrote the novelization for Riddick: Pitch Black.
2023
Author Suzy McKee Charnas (b.1939) died on January 2. Charnas was the author of The Vampire Tapestry and The Holdfast Chronicles series. Charnas won the Nebula Award for “Unicorn Tapestry” and the Hugo for “Boobs.” She won the Tiptree Award three times.
Fan Melissa Clemmer (b.1945) died on January 2. Clemmer was a Chicago area SF and media fan who was active in the Dorsai Irregulars beginning in 1982.
Author Cai Emmons (b.1951) died on January 2. Emmons published the novels Weather Woman, Sinking Islands, and Unleashed.
Astronaut Walt Cunningham (b.1932) died on January 3. Cunningham joined NASA as part of the third group of astronauts and flew on Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo mission. He went on the head the Skylab branch of the Flight Crew Directorate.
Publisher Roger Kean died on January 3. Kean co-founded Newsfield Publishing with Oliver Frey. The published the magazine Fear, Crash, and Zzap!64, among other magazines.
Publisher David Gold (b.1936) died on January 4. Gold headed Compact Books, which published New Worlds and Science Fantasy/Impulse.
Author Fay Weldon (b.1931) died on January 4. Weldon’s genre novels included The Cloning of Joanna May, Calchot Crescent, Death of a She-Devil, and Puffball.
Fan Anna Płócienniczak-Babilon (b.1983?) died on January 6. Płócienniczak-Babilon, who also went by the name Wiewióra, She was active in fundraising among Polish fans to help pay for medical treatments, and activity which earned her a Śląkfa Award.
Author Aleksey Slapovsky (b.1957) died on January 8. Slapovsky wrote a couple of children’s fantasies and often incorporated fantastic elements into his other novels.
Fan Svetlana Tulina (b.1968) died on January 8. Tulina edited anthologies of Russian speculative fiction and published The Tale of Wrong Assumptions, The Tale of the Golden Bird, and The Tale of the Black Demon of Red Sands, among other stories.
Fan Pam Gower (b.1930) died on January 9. Gower gained attention in the 1990s during a masquerade when she appeared as Terry Pratchett’s character Granny Weatherwax and merely pointed a finger at Pratchett. She later became the official model for Granny’s appearance in Paul Kidby’s illustrations.
Critic Elka Konstantinova (b.1932) died on January 12. Konstantinova served as Bulgaria’s Minister of Culture from 1991 through 1992 and wrote the critical books Fiction and Fiction and Observations on Literary Development, and Fiocnation and Modernity.
Comic book artist Lee Moder (b.1969) died on January 15. Moder co-created the Courtenay Whitmore version of Stargirl and also worked on Legion of Super-Heroes, JSA Presents: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., and Secret Origins Featuring the JLA.
Author Stepan Kaymanov (b.1979) died on January 17. His novels include Darkness and Fire and Practical Anti-magic, among others.
Author Paul LaFarge (b.1970) died on January 18 from cancer. His genre novels including The Artists of the Missing, Haussmann, or the Distinction, and The Night Ocean.
Artist David Sutherland (b.1933) died on January 19. Sutherland was known for the comics The Bash Kids, Biffo the Bear, and Dennis the Menace. Three weeks before he died, his named appeared on the New Years Honours list as an OBE.
Author Ted Bell (b.1946) died on January 20. Best known for writing thrillers, Bell wrote the Nick of Time and The Time Pirate YA novels featuring Nick McIver.
Filker Daphne Eftychia Arthur died the weekend of January 21. Arthur played with the Homespun Ceilidh Band and organized Ciricle of Confusion for the Time Travelers Social.
Fan Sal Piro (b.1950) died on January 22. Piro was the founder and president of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fan club. He was among those who created the audience participation aspect of the film and appeared in its pseudo-sequel, Shock Treatment and a television remake of the film. He published Creatures of the Night and a sequel book about the fandom.
Fan Peter Ryan died in late January. Ryan served as the members secretary for the Melbourne SF Club and is also a past editor of the club’s zine, Ethel the Aardvark.
Author Anna Jane (b.Anna Kapranova, 1988) died on February 1. Jane co-wrote the YA novel Net, detka, eto fantastika with Yekaterina Vasina. Kane also wrote the Music Lovelace series and the Heavenly Music series.
Fan Annabel Bugg (b.1977) died in early February. Bugg was active in running MileHiCon, where she served as head of volunteers and was a Guest of Honor in 1999.
Hugh Harris (b.1932) died in mid-February. Harris served as the Director of Public Affairs for the Kennedy Space Center and was often called “The Voice of NASA.”
Author Andrey Lyovkin (b.1954) died on February 13. In addition to his own works, Lyovkin translated Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and Clifford D. Simak into Russian.
Author Evgeny Shchepetnov (b.1961) died on February 14. His novels included military science fiction, space opera, time travel books, and urban fantasy.
Game designer Thomas Cook died on February 17. Cook worked for Mayfair Games, working on DC Heroes and supplements for City State of the Invincible Overlord. Cook also worked as a cinematographer, movie critic, and film professor.
Comic artist Aleksandr Remizov (b,1968) died on February 18. Remizov worked on the magazine Mir fantastiki. Remizov also created artwork for the game Supervillain: This Galaxy Is Mine!
Fan Stephen H. Walker (b.1958)died in mid-February. Walker, along with his wife, Kathe, founded the Colorado Starfest convention and ran it for 45 years before the last convention was held in 2022.
Author Igor Bereg (b.Igor Pidorenko, 1953) died on February 21. Bereg wrote using both his Pidorenko and Bereg bylines, including Vse veshchi mira Fantastika.
Editor and publisher John D. Teehan (b.1967) died on February 23. Teehan was the publisher of Merry Blacksmith Press and briefly served as the editor of the SFWA Bulletin. He published a handful of short stories and poems.
Fan Tracey Claybon (b.1967) died on March 1. Claybon was active in the fanfiction community. In addition to being an SF fan, Claybon worked as a tech editor.
Fan Valma Brown (b.1950) died on March 2. Brown was the editor of Giant Wombo (with husband Leigh Edmonds), Notional, and Valmapa. She was the GoH at SunCon in 1991 and served on the Perth in 94 Worldcon committee.
Author Christopher Fowler (b.1953) died on March 2. Fowler was the author of the BFA winning novel Full Dark House, the collection Old Devil Moon and the short stories “American Waitress” and “Wage Slaves.”
Author Kenzaburo Oe (b.1935) died on March 3. Not primarily a genre author, Oe’s works often included fantasy themes and some of his work was overtly genre, such as “Aghwee the Sky Monster.” In 1994, Oe was award the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Fan Steve Norris (b.1951) died on March 4. Norris served as chair for Archons 30-37. He also served on the board of directors for Archon’s parent organization and worked on the con for more than 40 years.
Fan Eve Harvey (b.Eve Simmons,1951) died on March 5, her 72nd birthday. Simmons was the GUFF delegate in 1985 and served as the secretary for Seacon ’79. She chaired the 1982 Eastercon and was elected past president of FWA in 2002. Harvey was a founding member of the Leeds University SF Society and published several different fanzine titles.
Fan Joe McNally died on March 5. McNally published the fanzine The Flaneur and was a member of APA-B.
Fan Vanessa Crouther (b.1959) died on March 6. Crouther won the 1991 ISFiC Writers Contest with the story “Soul to Take,” which was later reprinted in the anthology Journeys to the Twilight Zone.
Fan Mike Blake died on March 7. Blake was a member of the Rhode Island Science Fiction Association and edited their clubzine. He was also a member of NESFA and contributor to APA-Q. His fanzines including Foudroyant and Proper Boskonian.
Fan Rob Gustaveson died in early March. Gustaveson was a member of LASFS and ran Graphic Illusion, through which he sold comics and books.
Fan Tom Eitelhuber (b.1981) died on March 8. Eitelhuber served as the co-chaire of Swancon in 2013 and was the GoH at Wasteland II in 2008.
Author John Jakes (b.1932) died on March 11. Although Jakes became best known for his historical novels, he got his start writing fantasies, such as Brak the Barbarian and the Dark Gate series. Some of his fantasy was included in DAW Books The Best of John Jakes.
Agent Val Smith died in mid-March. Smith represented Madeline Robins, Steven Brust, Jane Yolen, and Sherwood Smith.
Fan Page Fuller died in mid-March. Fuller was a former committee member for the Endeavour Award and served as the President and Treasurer of Oregon Science Fiction, Inc (OSFCI) and helped run Orycon.
Jean Acevedo (b.1968) died on March 12. Acevedo was the owner of Sigil Entertainment Group, which produced Superheroic Roleplaying for 5th Edition, Hereafter, and Accursed.
Fan Sandy Levy (b.1950) died on March 13 from ALS. Levy was involved in running Windycon and Capricon in Chicago and also often volunteered at Worldcons, including the two most recent Chicons as well as Worldcons further afield.
Michael Sloan died on March 16. Known as the “Evil Emperor Emeritus,” Sloan worked for Games of Berkeley beginning in the 80s, eventually buying the store when its owners planned to close it.
Fan Jennifer Bulman (b.1951) died on March 19. Active in the SCA, as Enid Aurelia, Bulman was a founding member of the Skraeling Althing. Bulman also attended science fiction conventions.
Author Michael Reaves (b.1950) died on March 20. Reaves wrote the novels Dragonworld, Hellstar, Street Magic, and several media tie-ins. He was also a screenwriter and wrote Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and episodes of several animated series.
Author Eric Brown (b.1960) died on March 21. Brown is a two time BSFA winner and the author of the Bengal Station series and the Helix series. He was a longtime SF reviewer for the Guardian.
Fan Bruce Coulson (b.1957) died on March 22. He was a member of ISFA and the editor of ISFAnews. He was the son of fans Buck and Juanita Coulson.
Publisher John Hale (b.1932) died in late March. Hale took over his father’s publishing house in 1956 and expanded its line to include genre fiction, including Robert Bloch.
Author Roger Taylor (b.1938) died on March 24. Taylor was the author of the Chronicles of Haklan series, which began in 1988, as well as several related works. He also wrote the novels The Keep and Travellers.
Fan Leslie Smith (b.1958) died on March 26. Smith was the co-chair of Ditto 7 with Ken Josenhans and she published the zine Duprass with Linda Bushyager.
Author D.M. Thomas (b.1935) died on March 26. Thomas wrote the novels The Flute Player, Birthstone, and The White Hotel, which was nominated for the World Fantasy Award. He also wrote the four book Russian Quartet.
Fan and bookseller Bo Erikkson (b.1953) died in February or March. Erikkson became active in Swedish fandom in the 1970s, focusing on science fiction and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Fan Frank Dobson died on March 31. Dobson founded the first British comics adzine, Fantasy Advertiser in the mid 1960s. In 1975, he opened the story Weird Fantasy Bookshop in Londoni.
Author LJ Hachmeister died on April 5 following surgery. Hachmesiter was the author of the Triotion Universe novels and edited the anthologies Parallel Worlds: The Heroes Within and Instinct.
Author Rachel Pollack (b.1945) died on April 7. Pollack was the author of Unquenchable Fire, which won a Clarke Award, and its sequel Temporary Agency. Her novel Godmother Night won the World Fantasy Award. Pollack also wrote for comics and numerous non-fiction books, including works on Tarot, including creation of her own deck.
Editor Joseph Wrzos (b.1929) died on April 7. Wrzos served as managing editor of Amazing Stories from 1965-1967, using the professional name Joseph Ross. He also edited books on Hannes Bok and August Derleth and worked with Sam Moskowitz on Into the Sun and Other Stories.
Cartoonist Al Jaffee (b.1921) died on April 10. Jaffee spent 65 years contributing to Mad and created the Mad fold-in feature, although he got his start at Timely and Atlas Comics.
Scholar Mike Foster (b.1947) died on April 12. Foster was a pioneer of teaching Tolkien at the university level when he taught fantasy at Illinois Central College in 1974 and four years later introduced a course focusing on Tolkien.
Author Viktor Tochinov (b.1966) died on April 13. Tochinov was the editor ofEdge of Madness and Beyond the Edge of Madness as well as writing several non-genre novels.
Fan Larry Card (b.1940) died on April 15. Card was a member of First Fandom and attended numerous conventions.
Fan Denny Lien (b.1945) died on April 15. Lien was active in Minn-Stf for more than twenty years, editing the clubzine Einblatt. He was a member of Minneapa and Stipple-APA and was guest of honor at Minicon 21. He was one of the co-authors of the parody Midwest Side Story.
Author Angus McAllister (b.1943 died on April 18. McAllister wrote The Krugg Syndrome, The Canongate Strangler, and The Cyber Puppets. He also edited Mond Boggling Science Fiction.
Author Lee Harding (b.1937) died on April 19. Harding was the author of The Weeping Sky, Waiting for the End of the World, and Return to Tomorrow. He edited the anthologies Beyong Tomorrow, The Altered, and Rooms of Paradise. Harding won Ditmars for the stories “Dancing Gerontius” and “Fallen Spaceman.”
Fan Jerry Lapidus died on April 19. Lapidus was a founder of the Syracuse University Science Fiction Society and later served as an officer of the University of Chicago Science Fiction Society. He published several fanzines and apazines, including Tomorrow And…, The Legal Rules, and 2001 Light Years from Home.
Fan John Mansfield died on April 19. Mansfield was the chair of ConAdian, the 1994 worldcon in Winnipeg and was the fan guest of honor for the 2023 NASFIC, Pemmi-Con. He invented the Aurora Award pin and received two Aurora Awards. An early member of the Ottawa SF Society, he was also a member of the Alberta Science Fiction Society.
Fan Bill Ryan died on April 21. Ryan served as head of operations for Albacon.
Author Kate Suanders (b.1960) died on April 21. Saunders published the Belfry Withces series, the Oz and Luly series, and several additional young adult novels. Her Five Children on the Western Front was nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2016.
Fan Aleksandra Wierzchowska (b.1990) died on April 23. Wierzchowska used the fannish name Jade Ellene and was editor of the Polish website Polter. In addition to being an con attendee, she wrote about topics related to fannish history.
Fan Rickey Sheppard (b.1953) died on April 28. Sheppard chaired the Wigwam Village in ’86 DeepSouthCon bid and worked on ConFederation. He was a member of the Western Kentucky University Speculative Fiction Society and the Southern Fancom Confederation. Sheppard was a Guest of Honor at MidSouthCon 6 and ConTact 5.
Fan Marty Cantor (b.1935) died on April 29. Cantor was a longtime member of LASFS and edited the clubzine De Profundis as well as No Award, and Holier Than Thou, for which he and Robbie Cantor were nominated for 3 Hugo Awards. In 1985, along with Robbie, he was a DUFF delegate. In 2016, he received the Evans-Freehafer Award.
Author Lev Askerov (b.1940-2023) died on April 30. Askerov was the author of Chelovek’s Togo Sveta and three other science fiction novel, as well as several non-genre books..
Fan Ric Bergman (b.1949) died in April. He was a member of the Cincinnati Fantasy Group since 1974. He attended Rivercon and played D&D. He co-edited the fanzines Laughing Osiris and Quantum.
Ed Zdrojewski (b.1954) died on May 4. Zdrojewski, who went by Ed Zed, was active in Michigan fandom in the 70s and 80s and edited Benton Harbor Rat-Weasel and Intergalactice Animal Husbandry. He was part of the APA MiSHAP.
Swedish fan Maths Claesson (b.1959) died on May 7. Claesson was active in fanzine publication and was the second CEO of the Swedish SF Bookstore. He wrote the young adult novels The Pandemic, The Crystal City, and The Try-Outs.
Artist Russ Nicholson died on May 10. Nichols was a freelance illustrator and worked on several games, including The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and TSR’s Field Folio. He was active in illustration for Warhammer and worked as a cover artist for many British publishers.
Artist Cathy Wappel died in mid-May. Wappel painted miniature figures. She was a frequent attendee at cons, including Adepticon and ReaperCon. She was married to artist James Wappel.
Author Inger Sandberg (b.1930) died on May 16. Sandberg wrote children’s books, including Laban the Little Spook and the Little Anna and the Tall Uncle books. Her works were often illustrated by her husband, Lasse.
Author Rajnar Vajra (b.1947) died on May 18. Vajra began publishing in 1997 in Absolute Magnitude. His novel Shootout at the Nokai Corral was published in Analog and his Doctor Alien collection includes three linked stories. His novel Opening Wonders was published in May.
Author Martis Amis (b.1949) died on May 19. His genre novels included Dead Babies, London Fields, and Time’s Arrow. His first novel received the Somerset Maugham Award and he later earned the James Tair Black Memorial Award. He was a screenwriter on the film Saturn 3.
Fan Karen Kelly (b.1966) died on May 24. Kelly was on the con com for Follycon and two Unicons and was a frequent attendee at UK cons.
Author Nick Wood (b.1961) died in early May. Wood was the author of the collection Learning Monkey and Crocodile. His novel Azanian Bridges was nominated for the BSFA, Campbell Memorial, Nommo, and Sidewise awards and his second novel, Water Must Fall was nominated for the BSFA and Nommo awards.
Fan Allison Phillips (b.Allison Williams, 1928) died on June 2. Phillips was a member of PSFS and co-edited their zine Variant. She served as registrant for Philcon II and served as president of PSFS.
Publisher Sue Freestone (b.1945) died on June 5. Freestone worked for Heinemann, Hutchinson and Quercus and worked with Douglas Adams, Stephen Fry, and Robert Harris.
Filker Gayle “Green Eyes” Randal (b.Gayle Lloyd) died on June 6 from cancer. A regular at Archon, Kathy Mar wrote the song “Dreams” about her.
Fan Chris Callahan died on June 10. A member of WSFA, Callahan was a founding member of Peggy Rae Sapienza’s bubble brigade, helping her run various conventions.
Comic wrtier Ian McGinty (b.1985) died on June 10. McGinty created Welcome to Showside and worked on Adventure Tim, Invader Zim, and Bravest Warrior.
Author Brian Mooney (b.1940) died on June 11. Mooney published several short stories, including “The Tomb of Priscus” and “The Waldteufel Affair,” as well as poetry. In 1977, he published the chapbook The Guardians at the Gates. He was a charter member of the British Fantasy Society.
Comic artist John Romita, Sr. (b.1930) died on June 12. Romita was an early artist on Spider-Man and co-created Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, and Wolverine. He began working for Timely in 1949 and joined Marvel in 1965. In 1973, he became Marvel’s art director. He was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2002.
Author Cormac McCarthy (b.1933) died on June 13. McCarthy is the author of the post-apocalyptic novel The Road. His non-genre works include No Country for Old Men and All the Pretty Horses.
Editor Robert Gottlieb (b.1931) died on June 14. Gottlieb worked for Simon & Schuster, Knopf, and The New Yorker. His authors including Ray Bradbury, Anthon Burgess, Michael Crichton, and Doris Lessing. He edited Joseph Heller’s Catch-18 and suggested Heller change the title to Catch-22.
Author Nicky Singer (b.1956) died on June 17. Singer wrote the YA novels The Innocent’s Story, GemX, The Survival Game, and Knight Crew. Her debut, Feather Boy was adapted for tv and a musical.
Author and editor Michael A. Banks (b.1951) died on June 19. Banks was the co-author of The Odysseus Solution with Dean R. Lambe, and Joe Mauser: Mercenery from Tomorrow with Mack Reynolds. He served as a freelance editor for Baen and was active in the CFG. He also wrote under the name Alan Gould.
Editor Charles P. Zaglanis died in mid June. Zaglanis was the editor on Elder Signs Press and White Cat Publications. He edited the anthologies Airships & Automatons, Dark Horizons, and Street Majick.
Fan Grant McCormick (b.1955) died on June 19. McCormick was a member of the Falls of the Ohio Science Fiction and Fantasy Association and a one-time publisher of the clubzine FOSFAX.
Fan Amy Wisniewski (b.1947) died on June 20. Wisniewski was a member of the Mythopoeic Society and since 1971 had organized the Khazad-dum book discussion group with her wife, Edith Crowe.
Fan Hans Sidén (b.1935) died on June 24. Sidén was one of the founders of Sweden’s Club Cosmos, the oldest Swedish fan club still in existence. He co-edited the fanzine Cosmos News.
Comic author Joshua Quagmire (b.Richard Glen Lester II, 1952) died on May 28. Quagmire, who also went by JQ, created Cutey Bunny and Bunz & Katz. He was also influential in early furry fandom.
Author Angel Wagenstein (b.1922) died on June 29. Wagenstein wrote the novel Eolomea, which was turned into an East German film of the same title. His other novels included Farewell, Shangai and Isaac’s Torah. He was also a screenwriter.
Actor Alan Arkin (b.1934) died on June 30. Best known for his appearance in Catch-22, he appeared in The Last Unicorn, Edward Scissorhands, The Rocketeer,and Gattaca. He was also an author, with stories appearing in Galaxy and F&SF.
Fan Toni Liechtenstein Bogolub (b.1954) died on July 3. Bogolub was active in Chicago fandom, attending Windycon, Capricon, and MediaWest. She was a frequent panelists, sharing her love of written and visual science fiction.
Editor Patrick Lucien Price died in early July. Price worked as a games editor on the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set and later worked on the editorial staff for Dragon, Strategy & Tactics and as editor of Amazing Stories from 1986-1991.
Fan Tom Coveney (b.1968) died on July 14. Coveney worked as a guest liaison for Arisia and was active in other aspects of running the convention over the years.
Fan Gregg T. Trend died on July 16. Trend became active in the 1960s and was a member of the Wayne Third Foundation, editing its clubzine, Seldon’s Plan. He also published the apazines Trend’Art and Trending. He was the guest of honor at Corflu 31.
Author Scott Allan (b.1952) died on July 17 from cancer. Scott co-authored The Ice King and A Spell of Empire, as well as the solo novel The Dragon in Stone. He also edited Sfinx magazine for three years.
Filker Bill Laubenheimer died on July 19 after arriving in Winnipeg to attend Pemmi-Con. He was the music guest of honor at LepreCon 32. He wrote the parody “The Sunken Land of R’lyeh.” He was married to Carole Parker.
