Anne Rice, ‘Interview With the Vampire’ author, dead at 80

Anne Rice, a gothic novelist known for best-selling book “Interview With the Vampire,” died Saturday night, her son said. She was 80.

>> PHOTOS: Anne Rice through the years

The author’s son, Christopher Rice, announced her death on her Facebook page and her Twitter page. Christopher Rice said his mother died from complications resulting from a stroke.

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“In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage,” Christopher Rice wrote.

Born in New Orleans in 1941, Anne Rice wrote the 13-novel series “The Vampire Chronicles,” the first of which, “Interview With the Vampire,” was published in 1976. It was later adapted into a movie starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst and Antonio Banderas, The New York Times reported. Anne Rice would write more than 30 books over the next five decades, the newspaper reported.

The series introduced the character of Lestat, a vampire who would be the central character of the novels. The last installment of the series was published in 2018, CNN reported.

“I had an idea of Lestat as the man of action, the man who could do things that I couldn’t do,” Anne Rice said in a talk at Southern Illinois University in 2010.

Anne Rice’s books sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, Variety reported. The “Vampire” series was created after Anne Rice was grieving the death of her 5-year-old daughter, Michelle, during the early 1970s, according to the website. “Interview With the Vampire” focuses on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, who tells his life story to a reporter. The character of child vampire Claudia is based on Anne Rice’s daughter, Variety reported.

“Queen of the Damned,” based on one of the sequels to “Interview with the Vampire,” was adapted as a film in 2002, according to Variety. Other adaptations of Rice’s novels include “Exit to Eden” in 1994 and “The Feast of All Saints” in 2001.

Rice was married to Stan Rice, a poet who died in 2002, the Times reported.

Christopher Rice wrote two historical-horror novels with his mother, the newspaper reported.

“As a writer, she taught me to defy genre boundaries and surrender to my obsessive passions,” Christopher Rice said in the statement.

Anne Rice lived most of her life in California, but she set most of her stories in her native New Orleans, according to her website biography.

She will be buried in a private ceremony in New Orleans, with a public memorial planned next year, Christopher Rice said on Twitter.

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Photos: Anne Rice through the years Here are some memorable photos of author Anne Rice through the years. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)

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