Ray Bradbury Gone At 91

Observers have long called Ray Bradbury a giant of science fiction and fantasy, but perhaps more importantly, he was a giant of ideas. He analyzed human nature and imagined worlds and scenes in which facets of that human nature had been pushed further. His brilliant works The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Come inhabit libraries, both public and personal, across the world, and his novel Fahrenheit 451 remains one of the bestselling texts in history. It’s consumed by high school students in English classes every single year. Many read it without a second thought, but those who open themselves to its meanings, viewpoints and careful writing style find a lifetime’s worth of inspiration within its pages.

Bradbury passed away last night at the age of ninety-one, leaving behind millions of fans, millions of influenced readers and a legacy that will last for generations. It was a chance encounter with a musician who made his hair stand up and commanded him to live forever that inspired him to take up writing, and that goal of eternal relevance pushed him every day. He churned out page after page, story after story until, by the end of his life, he’d written eleven novels and dozens of short stories. Many of his more famous works were adapted into television shows and movies, a good portion of which he wrote himself.

Bradbury was never the flashiest author, but his words were crisp and calculated. They spun beautiful narratives and intricate stories. His presence will be missed.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.