Arthur C Clarke Dies In Sri Lanka

Science fiction writer and futurist Sir Arthur C Clarke Clarke has died in Sri Lanka, aged 90.

The BBC reports that Clarke died at 0130 local time after a cardio-respiratory attack.

The British writer, who penned over 100 fiction and non-fiction books, shot to worldwide fame in 1968 when his short story The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick, with whom he co-wrote the screenplay.During World War II, Clarke volunteered for the Royal Air Force, where he worked in the then highly-secretive development of radar, and foresaw the concept of communication satellites.

Sir Arthur's vivid and detailed descriptions of space shuttles, super-computers and rapid communications systems were enjoyed by millions of readers around the world.In the 1940s, he maintained man would reach the moon by the year 2000, an idea dismissed at the time.After a failed marriage Sir Arthur moved to Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, in 1956, where he lived ever since. His reputation was threatened in 1998 by allegations of child abuse, which he strenuously denied. Sir Arthur was cleared by an investigationFrom 1995, the author was largely confined to a wheelchair, suffering from post-polio syndrome.