Key Points
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Award winning sci fi author Dan Simmons dies at age 77
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The Hyperion creator suffered a stroke in Colorado
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Prolific writer published more than 30 novels across genres
LONGMONT, Colorado. Daniel Simmons, the influential science fiction and horror writer best known for the Hugo Award winning novel Hyperion, has died at the age of 77, according to his family.
Simmons died on February 21 in Longmont following a stroke, with his wife Karen and daughter Jane by his side, family members confirmed in an obituary.
Fellow author David Morrell paid tribute on social media, writing that Simmons “defied literary norms” and calling him “one of a kind.”
From classroom to literary acclaim
Born April 4, 1948, in Peoria, Illinois, Simmons initially built a career in education before turning to full time writing. He taught elementary school for nearly two decades in Missouri, New York and Colorado, where he also helped create a districtwide gifted program.
During his teaching years, Simmons would tell serialized stories to students, a creative practice that later influenced the structure of his most famous work.
Hyperion becomes a science fiction landmark
Simmons’ breakthrough came with Hyperion in 1989, the first book in the acclaimed Hyperion Cantos series. The novel, inspired in part by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, follows seven pilgrims traveling to the mysterious Time Tombs.
The book won the Hugo Award and is widely regarded as one of the most important science fiction novels of the modern era.
His debut novel, Song of Kali, published in 1985, also earned major recognition, winning the World Fantasy Award the following year.
Wide ranging body of work
Across his career, Simmons wrote more than 30 novels and short story collections spanning science fiction, horror, crime and historical fiction. His works were translated into at least 20 languages and published in dozens of countries.
Another major success, The Terror, was adapted into an AMC limited television series in 2018, introducing his work to a broader audience.
Family and legacy
Simmons is survived by his wife Karen, daughter Jane, grandchildren Milo and Lucia Glenn, and his brother Wayne. According to the family, a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
His death marks the loss of a writer whose genre bending storytelling left a lasting imprint on modern speculative fiction.
