The sad news is out that Richard Matheson has died at the age of 87. When I got my mitts on The Omega Man, the papeback edition of Matheson's tale originally titled I Am Legend, in grade school it altered my understanding of the world. It was one of the earliest science fiction books I ever read and remains perhaps the scariest story I've ever stumbled across. It's been adapted officially three times and likely another when it served as the unofficial inspiration for the original Night of the Living Dead. Here is a review I did several years ago.
His screenplay for The Night Stalker helped elevate this humble horror noir movie to cult status. His impact as writer in the pop culture of the late 20th century cannot be overstated. In a modern world run amok in the undead, Richard Matheson had an immense amount to do with shaping the best of that. Many if not even most of the great scares of our time were in some way developed from the typewriter of Richard Matheson.
Rest in peace.
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