British horror author James Herbert died peacefully in his bed on 20 March 2013. Born in London’s East End on 8 April 1943, he studied graphic design, print, and photography at Hornsey College of Art before working in an advertising agency.

Herbert’s publisher, Pan Macmillan, announcing his death on Herbert’s web site, writes “He began writing his first novel, The Rats, when he was 28.

“James Herbert was awarded the OBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours list, the same year he was made the Grand Master of Horror by the World of Horror Convention. James’ popularity with his fans was at its peak in the last few months with a series of sell out public events across the country.

“He married his wife, Eileen, in 1967; she survives him with their three daughters, Kerry, Emma, and Casey.”

Locus notes “Herbert wrote 23 novels, most horror, many of them international bestsellers. His books include The Rats (1974), The Fog (1975), The Survivor (1976), Fluke (1977), The Spear (1978), Lair (1979), The Dark (1980), The Jonah (1981), Shrine (1983), Domain (1984), Moon (1985), The Magic Cottage (1986), Sepulchre (1987), Haunted (1988), Creed (1990), Portent (1992), The Ghosts of Sleath (1994), ’48 (1996), Others (1999), Once (2001), Nobody True (2003), The Secret of Crickley Hall (2006), and Ash (2012). He also wrote non-fiction and a graphic novel, and many of his works were adapted for TV, film, and radio.”

Four of his novels, The Rats, The Survivor, Fluke and Haunted were made into films. The Magic Cottage was dramatized for Radio 4 and more recently, last December, The Secret of Crickley Hall was aired as a three-part serial on BBC One.

The paperback of his 23rd novel, Ash, was published just last week.

Macmillan Publisher Jeremy Trevathan, who was Herbert’s editor, says, “Jim Herbert was one of the keystone authors in a genre that had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s a true testament to his writing and his enduring creativity that his books continued to be huge bestsellers right up until his death. He has the rare distinction that his novels were considered classics of the genre within his lifetime. His death marks the passing of one of the giants of popular fiction in the 20th century.”

Messages of condoolence may be left on his Facebook page.