Author Anne McCaffrey dead at 85

When legendary sci-fi/fantasy author Anne McCaffrey had to cancel a recent appearance at a sci-fi convention, she asked her son to write on her blog, “Sorry that old age came up and bit me on the a**.”

It seems she was twice bitten, as the 85-year-old author of “Dragonriders of Pern” passed away on Monday after suffering a stroke at her home in Ireland. The house, which she called Dragonhold-Underhill, was one she designed herself.

McCaffrey was a prolific writer with an impressive list of accolades, including being the first women ever to win a Hugo Award and the first to win a Nebula Award. Wired reports that she was still writing and answering fanmail up to a few weeks before her death.

She is survived by her two sons and her daughter.