RIP: Harlan Ellison

June 28th 2018, 5:47pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Eccentric science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison died in his sleep Thursday at the age of 84. Ellison was born in Cleveland on May 27, 1934, and attended Ohio State University. In 1954, EC Comics Weird Science-Fantasy #24 featured "Upheaval," based on his story, "Mealtime." In his time, Ellison produced more than 1,800 pieces of writing which spanned novels, short stories, and comic books including A BOY AND HIS DOG, which was turned into a 1975 movie starring Don Johnson, and the classic short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream."

On top of all that, Ellison wrote scripts for TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE ("Djinn, No Chaser"), THE OUTER LIMITS ("The Human Operators"), THE TWILIGHT ZONE ("Crazy as a Soup Sandwich", "Gramma", "One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty", "Paladin of the Lost Hour", "Shatterday"), THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR, as well as a much-loved episode of the original STAR TREK series.

Christine Valada tweeted that Ellison’s wife, Susan, had asked her to announce that he died.

Susan Ellison has asked me to announce the passing of writer Harlan Ellison, in his sleep, earlier today. “For a brief time I was here, and for a brief time, I mattered.”—HE, 1934-2018. Arrangements for a celebration of his life are pending.

— Christine Valada (@mcvalada) June 28, 2018

Personally, I will always remember Ellison as the subject of one of my favorite documentaries on writing called DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH. The doc features a "publicity stunt" by Ellison that has always stuck with me in which the author sat in a bookstore window and wrote out a short story – just to show people that writing is NOT a flashy artform. It's just a guy typing at a typewriter.