People Are Mourning The Passing Of ‘Interview With The Vampire’ Novelist Anne Rice

Anne Rice, best known for Gothic novels about bloodsuckers, such as Interview with the Vampire, has passed away, as per The New York Times. She was 80 years old.

The news was revealed on Facebook by her son, Christopher Rice, who said his mother died from “complications resulting from a stroke.” He added, “She left us almost nineteen years to the day my father, her husband Stan, died.”

— Christopher Rice (@chrisricewriter) December 12, 2021

Born in New Orleans, Rice burst onto the literary scene in 1976, when she published Interview with the Vampire, which introduced her most famous creation, Lestat, an antiheroic bloodsucker whose exploits she chronicled over several books in what became known as “The Vampire Chronicles.”

Her debut book was turned into a blockbuster movie in 1994, starring Tom Cruise as Lestat, Brad Pitt as the man he turns, and Kirsten Dunst as a vampiric little girl. A follow-up, The Queen of the Damned, which featured pop star Aaliyah, followed in 2001. She has been credited with helping re-popularize vampire fiction, and more of her work is slated to be adapted for the screen.

But Rice was interested in far more than vampires. She wrote historical novels, including 1979’s The Feast of All Saints, about the black community in New Orleans before the Civil War. She wrote Christian fiction, including speculative accounts of the early life of Jesus Christ (which, too, have been turned into movies). She wrote erotic fiction, including Exit to Eden, which was improbably turned into a comedy starring Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O’Donnell.

“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,” Christopher wrote in his post.

After news broke of Rice’s passing, people on social media were quick to pay tribute to the legendary novelist.

— Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) December 12, 2021

Really sorry to see this news about Anne Rice. She had the table next to mine at a convention in New Orleans many years ago — she was charming company and I was honored to get the chance to talk with her about her work. Rest In Peace. https://t.co/IzwikIHlRV

— John Jackson Miller (@jjmfaraway) December 12, 2021

Anne Rice played such an important role in my life. Her work inspired me to learn as many languages as I could and to study history with zeal. Interview with the Vampire put my life on a whole new trajectory.

She leaves behind a tremendous legacy. https://t.co/HQdrmYRUVx

— Sarabeth Pollock (@SarabethPollock) December 12, 2021