Locus is reporting the death of Thomas J. Bassler on 13 December 2011. Born 7 July 1932 in Clinton, Iowa, he wrote sf as T.J. Bass, starting with “Star Itch” (which appeared in If in 1968). Two of Bass’s novels—Half Past Human (1970) and The Godwhale (1974)—were Nebula Award nominees. His sf career ended soon thereafter.
Bassler, who earned his MD from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine, co-wrote the non-fiction The Whole Life Diet: An Integrated Program of Nutrition and Exercise for a Lifestyle of Total Health with Robert E. Burger in 1979.
Bassler was an early proponent of running to improve health, worked as a deputy medical examiner in Los Angeles (1961-64), and went into private practice as a pathologist in 1964.