Author Anne Rice forever changed the world of vampires with her series of books collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles. The first of which, Interview with the Vampire, was famously adapted as a gothic horror film in 1994. Now it’s been announced that Anne Rice has died at the age of 80.
This news comes via her son Christopher, who made a post on Facebook confirming his mother’s dead. He noted that she died from complications which occurred as the result of a stroke.
Here’s what he had to say in his statement:
“Dearest People of Page. This is Anne’s son Christopher and it breaks my heart to bring you this sad news,” he began. “Earlier tonight, Anne passed away due to complications resulting from a stroke. 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. As my mother, her support for me was unconditional — she taught me to embrace my dreams, reject conformity and challenge the dark voices of fear and self-doubt. As a writer, she taught me to defy genre boundaries and surrender to my obsessive passions. In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage, awash in memories of a life that took us from the fog laced hills of the San Francisco Bay Area to the magical streets of New Orleans to the twinkling vistas of Southern California. As she kissed Anne goodbye, her younger sister Karen said, ‘What a ride you took us on, kid.’ I think we can all agree. 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. Throughout much of her final years, your contributions to this page brought her much joy, along with a profound sense of friendship and community.”
Christopher Rice then took the time to explain the funeral plans for Anne Rice. This includes a celebration of her life that’s scheduled to take place next year in New Orleans, and he made sure to invite the public.
“Anne will be interred in our family’s mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony. 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.”
As you can imagine, fans are devastated by this news. Anne Rice’s first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was released as far back as 1976. For decades the characters in that book have been a part of so many people’s lives. In fact, Anne Rice was publishing books set in The Vampire Chronicles as recently as 2018. At that time, Anne Rice published Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat. The popularity of the books have also spawned two film adaptations, the aforementioned Interview with the Vampire and the underappreciated 2002 film Queen of the Damned. More recently, there are plans to create a television series adaptation of Interview with the Vampire for AMC.