Tributes to Ray

Yesterday was just a crazy day. I heard about Ray's passing quite early in the day, but didn't want to report it or comment on it until Ray's family had made an official announcement. It was Ray's grandson, the actor Danny Karapetian, who first broke the news via Twitter. After that the web was awash with messages of remembrance, condolence and tribute.

The message boards on the official Bradbury website (where I am deputy moderator) were lit up like I've never seen. My own humble blog got more hits in a day than it usually gets in a month. Even non-Bradbury sites filled up with tributes, such as Harlan Ellison's message board.

I have no wish to link to every tribute out there, but I thought it would be worth linking to some of the best content about Ray.

Author Joanne Harris (writer of Chocolat) was interviewed about Ray's influence on her. You can read what she says, and listen to part of the interview here.

The great and the good from the UK - everyone from Mark Gatiss to Jonathan Ross, Duncan Jones to Edgar Wright - offered tributes to Ray, and you can read some of them here.

BBC Radio 4's PM programme had a report on Ray's death, and a short feature on his life and work:

 

Ray's friend Brian Sibley posted a beautiful tribute to Ray, drawing on a friendship and correspondence that stretched back over thirty-some years. Read it here.

Finally, Jon Eller of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies has posted an obituary, and was also interviewed about Ray's life and work for Minnesota Public Radio. Read and listen here.