Michael Crichton, bestselling author, film producer, film director, medical doctor and television producer, passed away on November 4th, 2008, age 66, in Los Angeles from cancer.   He is survived by his only child, daughter Taylor Anne, and his wife Sherri Alexander.  (Crichton has also been married 4 times previously.)

Michael Crichton (Full name: John Michael Crichton) was probably best known for his science fiction and techno-thriller books (JURASSIC PARK, THE LOST WORLD, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, CONGO), stories that relied heavily on his medical background for plot points and storylines.  His books, whether they were based on the military, the medical, the adventure or the cybernetic fields were almost always written along the line of “what if something went worng…[sic]“  While not anti-tech himself, he could see how arrogance and ignorance could cause an amazing amount of damage, and he used to his novels to educate people to those possibilities.

While in medical school, he wrote books under the pseudonyms John Lange and Jeffery Hudson.  A CASE OF NEED, his 4th published novel (originally written under the Hudson name, but later re-released under Crichton) won the 1969 Edgar Award for Best Novel. He also co-authored DEALING with his younger brother Douglas under the shared pen name Michael Douglas.  The dustjacket back contains a photo of Michael and Douglas at a very young age taken by their mother.

Besides devoting time to his extensive writing career, he was also the creator and executvie producer of the TV series E.R.,  along with writing screenplay adaptations of his books.

At 6’9″, he was one of the tallest bestselling writers around.  Worldwide, his  beloved books have sold over 150 million copies.  At this time of his death, a 26th (untitled so far) novel was in the works and is expected to be published posthumously in May 2009.