John Updike, author of Rabbit, Run along with a ton of other creepy but brilliant books, died from lung and throat cancer at 76.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-john-updike28-2009jan28,0,7381588.story
He was a pretty influential author for me when I was in my late teens and early 20s. His novels Couples and Marry Me irreversibly screwed up my general perception of relationships… which is both good and bad. And The Poorhouse Fair got my prize of Depressing Novel of the Year.
Edit: sorry; I realize this has been posted in Books: http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=50296