Dan Simmons, 77, award-winning author of 31 novels and short story collections, passed away on February 21, 2026 in Longmont, Colorado. Many of his books won honors ranging from the Hugo Award, science fiction’s most prestigious award, to two World Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards for horror, a dozen Locus Awards, and the Shirley Jackson Award. His titles have been translated into at least 20 languages and published in 28 foreign countries.
Simmons defied literary norms by writing across genres and defying pressure to conform to formulaic novels. He wrote groundbreaking work in historical fiction, horror, hard-boiled crime, and speculative fiction and explored topics ranging from Ernest Hemingway’s World War II Cuban spy ring to mountain climbing in the Himalayas. In 2018, his novel The Terror (2007) was adapted as a ten-part AMC series.
Daniel Joseph Simmons was born April 4, 1948 in Peoria, Illinois. Many of his childhood experiences found their way into his horror fiction. He graduated from Wabash College with an English degree and earned a graduate degree in education from Washington University in St. Louis.
He taught sixth grade until his debut novel, Song of Kali, won the 1986 World Fantasy Award. In 1987 he left teaching to become a full-time author, launching an illustrious career that included the Hyperion Quartet, Carrion Comfort, Summer of Night, Ilium, and Olympos. Of all his awards, the most meaningful was an honorary doctorate from Wabash College, a place that changed his life and set him on a path towards a life well lived.
He is survived by his wife Karen, daughter Jane, and grandchildren Milo and Lucia Glenn.
—Richard Curtis
Source:https://locusmag.com/2026/02/dan-simmons-4-04-1948-2-21-2026/