Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dead at 61

Ex-Nixon speechwriter, Pulitzer winner was forceful voice on right

(NEWSER) - Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist William Safire died today outside Washington, the paper reports. He was 79 and suffered from cancer. A onetime speechwriter for Richard Nixon, Safire, a self-described "libertarian conservative," used his background as a reporter and love for English usage to punch up his op-ed column, which he wrote from 1973 to 2005, and books of history and fiction. More»

Appeared in Cannonball Run , Space Balls

(NEWSER) - Actor Dom DeLuise died in his sleep last night at a Los Angeles hospital, TMZ reports. He was 75. The Golden-Globe nominated actor was known for appearances in Mel Brooks films and often worked with Burt Reynolds. He starred in Cannonball Run and Blazing Saddles and voiced Pizza the Hutt in Spaceballs. His son confirmed the news to KTLA-TV, saying DeLuise died peacefully among family. More»

(NEWSER) - British author JG Ballard died this morning "with great sadness" after many years of poor health, his agent said today. The 78-year-old novelist and short story writer was most famous for his semi-autobiographical book Empire of the Sun, later made into a film by Steven Spielberg, and his controversial novel Crash, adapted for the screen by David Cronenberg. More»

(NEWSER) - Harry Kalas, who announced Philadelphia Phillies games since 1971, died today, the Inquirer reports. Kalas, 73, was found unconscious at Nationals Stadium in Washington and rushed to a hospital, where he died. Kalas, a Hall of Famer, underwent unspecified surgery earlier this year. “We lost Harry today,” the team president said. “We lost our voice.” More»

Jurassic Park author, 66, sold more than 150M copies worldwide

(NEWSER) - Jurassic Park author and ER creator Michael Crichton died yesterday at 66 after a battle with cancer, Entertainment Tonight reports. “While the world knew him as a great storyteller," Crichton was "a devoted husband, loving father, and generous friend who inspired,” his family said in a statement. His books, which also included bestseller The Andromeda Strain, sold more than 150 million copies. More»