He was one of the most prolific modern writers of the last 20 years, penning such thrillers as Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Stain, The Great Train Robbery and many more. Michael Crichton has died from complications due to cancer. He was 66.

Michael Crichton, best known as the author of Jurassic Park and the creator of NBC’s ER, has died. He was 66.

In a statement, his family calls his death unexpected, but said he had been privately battling cancer.

“While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us — and entertained us all while doing so — his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes,” his family tells ET. “He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.”

[From Us Weekly]

He began his career as a medical doctor and began writing medical novels while still at Harvard Medical School. Many of Crichton’s best sellers have been made into movies, and the writer eventually stepped into the field of screenwriting and producing for film and television. No information has been released regarding the type of cancer he had been battling or for how long. Condolences to Michael’s family and fans- it sounds as if his passing was unexpected as well as premature.

Picture Note by JayBird: Here’s Michael Crichton at the ALS Association “George Gershwin Alone” Benefit Concert held at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, California in June 2007. Header at the signing of ‘State of Fear’, at Waterstones in London in December 2004. 11.12.04. Images thanks to WENN.