Posted in: AMC, TV | Tagged: amc, anne rice, Christopher Rice, interview with the vampire, lestat, mayfair witches

"Interview with the Vampire" Author Anne Rice Passes Away, Age 80

Published Sun, 12 Dec 2021 06:16:11 -0600

Famed, best-selling American author Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire, Lives of the Mayfair Witches) has passed away at the age of 80 due to complications from a stroke. Rice's son Christopher Rice broke the news via the author's Facebook page, writing in part, "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." Though her 1976 debut novel Interview with the Vampire would initially be met with mixed reactions, the novel would go on to experience a renaissance as a modern classic & inspiration for a new perspective on vampires moving forward. An intimate story written as Rice was grieving the loss of her daughter Michele to leukemia, Interview with the Vampire would go on to spawn 11 sequels under the "The Vampire Chronicles" banner. Rice's illustrious writing career (writing under her own name as well as the pseudonyms "A. N. Roquelaure" and "Anne Rampling") would also encompass the "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" trilogy of novels (The Witching Hour, Lasher & Taltos); historical novels The Feast of All Saints & Cry to Heaven; erotic novels The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty's Punishment, Beauty's Release, Exit to Eden & Belinda; a chronicle of the life of Jesus with Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana; and many more. Here's a look at Christopher's post:

Dearest People of Page. This is Anne's son Christopher and it breaks my heart to bring you this sad news. 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. 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.

The news of Rice's passing comes nearly seven months after it was announced that the author and Christopher had entered into a deal with AMC Networks to executive produce series adaptation of the 18 titles making up "The Vampire Chronicles" and "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" book series. Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) is leading AMC's efforts to develop the full Rice collection for television & streaming, as well as executive produce Interview With The Vampire. Emmy Award-winning director Alan Taylor (Mad Men, Game of Thrones) is directing the first two episodes on "Interview" and executive producing, with Rolin Jones (Perry Mason, Weeds) writing, executive producing, and serving as showrunner. In mid-August, it was announced that a writers' room was officially open and starting work on "Mayfair Witches."

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