Anne Rice, the author responsible for reinventing gothic fiction and the vampire genre, died Dec. 11 from complications of a stroke.
The author’s death was announced by her son, Christopher Rice, through the former’s social media.
“She left us almost nineteen years to the day my father, her husband Stan, died. The immensity of our family’s grief cannot be overstated. Let us take comfort in the shared hope that Anne is now experiencing firsthand the glorious answers to many great spiritual and cosmic questions, the quest for which defined her life and career,” Christopher wrote.
Anne was a prolific author who tried her hand in several genres before she first wrote her debut novel “Interview With the Vampire” in 1976.
“Rice’s bestselling works also spanned the genres of romantic and erotic fiction and Christian literature, but it was within the gothic horror where the New Orleans-born author made her biggest impact,” Rolling Stone wrote.
Anne wrote “Interview With the Vampire” as she grieved the death of her young daughter Michelle. The book would be the first of many novels which would become known as the Vampire Chronicles.
The book became a film in 1994 with Anne herself writing the screenplay. The movie starred Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater, and Thandie Newton, among others.
This revitalized the horror genre, particularly vampire lore that found its way into successful films and TV series such as “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “True Blood,” “Underworld,” and the “Twilight” books and film series among many others.
Anne's last novel in the Vampire Chronicles was 2018’s “Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat.” She also wrote with her son, Christopher, in their “Ramses the Dead” novels.
Christopher announced that his mother would be interred in the family mausoleum in New Orleans.
“Next year, a celebration of her life will take place in New Orleans. This event will be open to the public and will invite the participation of her friends, readers and fans who brought her such joy and inspiration throughout her life,” he wrote on social media.