Author Lee Martindale died on March 10. Martindale began publishing in 1992 and edited the anthology Such a Pretty Face. She issued four collections of her writing. A long-time director of SFWA, she received the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service Award in 2019 and was active in the SFWA Musketeers.
Fan Alina Chu (b.1956) died on February 28. Chu worked on the early Star Trek conventions as well as Lunacon. She also co-published the 1980s fanzine Nothing Left to the Imagination with Teresa Minambres.
Author Joseph Green (b.1931) died on February 20. Green was the author of Star Probe and Gold the Man. Working for NASA’s Education Office in the 1960s, he hosted Apollo launch parties. In 2018, he won the Phoenix Award.
Artist Tatjana Wood (b.1926) died in February. Wood provided color guides for DC in the 1960s and in 1973 became a regular cover artist. In 1975, she won the Best Colorist Shazam Award and was later inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame.
Author Dan Simmons (b.1948) died on February 21. Simmons won the Hugo Award for his novel Hyperion and the World Fantasy Award for the novel Song of Kali. He was comfortable writing science fiction, horror, and mysteries. In 2013, he was named a World Horror Grandmaster.
Fan Michael Harper (b.1954) died on February 24. Harper edited the OSFIC clubzine, NIT-WIT, from 1975-77. Along with Mike Glicksohn, Harper co-hosted MikeCon over Memorial Day in Toronto for more than 25 years.
Fan Alun Harries (b.1956) died in February. He began attending cons in 1978 and attended Seacon the next year before joiing the Newport SF Group. A founding member of Frank’s APA and Frank’s Tape Loop. He was a frequent attendee at First Thursday in London.
Author Jeffrey A. Carver (b.1949) died on February 6. Carver is the author of the Chaos Chronicles, beginning with Neptune Crossing, and the Star Rigger Series, beginning with Panglor. His novel Eternity’s End was nominated for a Nebula and his short fiction as collected in two volumes.
Artist Bob Layzell (b.1940) died on January 29. Layzell began doing cover art in 1976 for The History of the Science Fiction Magazine: 1946-1955. He used a variety of materials and did covers for publishers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Author James Sallis (b.1944) died on January 27. Sallis worked as an assistant editor on New Worlds and his fiction appeared in Orbit, Analog, and New Worlds. He wrote the novel Renderings. His story “The Creation of Bennie Good” was nominated for a Nebula Award.
Editor Fruma Klass (b.1935) died on January 24. Klass worked as an editor and wrote a handful of short stories, including “Before the Rainbow,” “Jennifer’s Turn,” and “The Way We Were.” She was married to author Philip Klass.
Artist Sal Buscema (b.1936) died on January 23. Buscema worked primarily for Marvel and had lengthy runs on The Incredible Hulk and The Spectacular Spider-Man. He also drew and inked numerous oher titles. He briefly worked for DC in the late 90s before returning to Marvel.
Fan Sandy Cohen (b.1948) died on January 20. Cohen was active in LASFS and SCIFI, including servicng as a board member of SCIFI. He published the fanzine Overlord. Cohen was on the bid committee for LA in 2026 and was working for the con as proofreader.
Fan Diana Green died on January 18. Green held a BFA in Comic Book Illustration and was an adjunct professor at Minneapolis College of Arts & Design. She created the comic Tranny Towers and Speedy Ricuverri and his All-Girl Orchestra.
Author Jean Rabe (b.1957) died on January 19. Rabe worked for TSR as head of the RPGA and editor of Polyhedron. She wrote for many gaming lines and wrote both gaming tie-in novels and original novels. Rabe served as the editor of the SFWA Bulletin for several years.
Bookseller Penny Syber died on November 25. Syber owned a bookstore in Victoria, Australia, which closed in August of 2025.
Fan William “Lile” Carlile Gowen (b.1957) died on January 5. Gowen was on the concom for Foolscap and hosted events for the benefit of the Clarion West workshop. Gowen was an avid film fan and art collector.
Author M. Christian died in earl January. Christian wrote the Running Dry series and the novels The Very Bloody Marys, Me2, and Painted Doll. His short fiction was collected in several volumes and he edited anthologies with Maxim Jakubowski, Jean Marie Stine, Todd Gregory, and Sage Vivant.
Editor Tim Kask (b.1949) died on December 30. Kask was the first employee hired by TSR and served as the editor of The Strategic Review and The Dragon. After leaving TSR in 1980, he published Adventure Gaming magazine before leaving the industry in 1983. In 210, he founded Eldritch Enterprises.
Fan Karen Herkes died on December 30. Herkes was active in Australian fandom and received the Double Gamma Award in 1986 for excellence in Doctor Who fandom. In 1988, she was a finalist for Best Australian Media Fanwriter and she was a GoH at Whovention 2000.
Fan Pat Vandenberg died on December 23.Vendenberg chaired Boskone 20 and was a Fellow of NESFA. She edited several early issues of The Mad 3 Party. She organized the mini golf course at MagiCon.
Fan Steven Bond died on December 25. Bond was an active convention attendee, focusing on comic and Star Trek conventions. A comic collector and the owner of Moldy Collectibles, he was active in the Minnesota Science Fiction Society.
Author Terence M. Green (b.1947) died on December 19. Green began publishing in 1978 with the story “The Night Above the Dingle Starry” and wrote the novels Barking Dogs, Shadow of Ashland, and St. Patrick’s Bed. He was a multiple Aurora and World Fantasy finalist.
Director Rob Reiner (b.1947) was murdered on December 10. Reiner directed Stand by Me and The Princess Bride. As an actor, he appeared in the tv series Batman, Good Heavens, and Wizards of Waverly Place. He won the Hugo Award for The Princess Bride.
Author John Varley (b.1947) died on December 10. Varley began publishing in 1974 with the stories “Picnic on Nearside” & “Scoreboard.” His first novel was The Ophiuchi Hotline. Varley won the Hugo & Nebula for the novellas “The Persistence of Vision” and “Press Enter []” and a Hugo for “The Pusher.”
Fan Arthur Hlavaty (b.1942) died on December 9. Hlavaty was an active fanwriter and zine publisher, responsible for numerous 'zines over the years, including Nice Distinctions, The Airfoiled Yarmulka, and The Diagonal Relationship. He was nominated for Best Fan Writer Hugo each year from 1980-1991.
Author Angel Torres Quesada (b.1940) died on November 30. Writing under the name A Thorkent, Quesada wrote Wyharga, Los vientos del olvido, and Un paraiso llamado Ara, as more than fifty other novels. He won the Premio Ignotus in 2004.
Filker Leslie Fish (b.1953) died on November 29. Fish wrote the songs “Banned from Argo,” “Hope Eyrie,” and “Carmen Miranda’s Ghost.” She recorded the first commercial filk album and won 10 Pegasus Awards and a Prometheus Award. She was an inaugural inductee in the Filk Hall of Fame.
Fan Ken Smookler (b.1929) died on November 11. An avid reader and con attendee, Smookler co-founded the Ontario Science Fiction Club and served as its first president.
Reviewer and fan Sue Granquist (b.1966) died on November 18. Granquist began writing for Black Gate with the third print issue and eventually wrote the “Goth Chick” column for the online version of the zine for 16 years.
