# Crazy old Harlan Ellison is dying **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868 "2010-09-24T13:03:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/21 "2010-09-24T21:45:34Z")
Harlan’s health isn’t all that great, IIRC. Didn’t he have major bypass surgery awhile back? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/22 "2010-09-24T21:52:49Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Color me skeptical. He’s not _that_ old. Unless he’s got a disease or affliction he hasn’t told anyone about, he doesn’t have a terminal condition. He hasn’t even made it to the average life expectancy yet. According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy), the average life expectancy @ birth for a male in the US is 75.6 years. At 76 Harlan has passed that mark. That doesn’t affect the rest of your reasoning, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/23 "2010-09-24T22:59:07Z")
Repent, Harlequin! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/24 "2010-09-25T00:22:15Z")
Goodnight, little fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/25 "2010-09-25T00:24:41Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > \*Yeah, go ahead and say he has his reasons - maybe he does. And I love woo as much as the next man. But I’m here to tell you - there are plenty of people who doubt that an old dog senses when it’s his time. Well, I can’t produce a cite on the word _plenty_, so I’ll just have to settle for saying that at least \*one \*person doubts it. I doubt it. I think a dog might just feel really sick, so it finds an out-of-the-way place to crash and hopefully heal where predators won’t find him so easily. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/26 "2010-09-25T01:06:40Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > > [@Khadaji](#): > > > > \*Yeah, go ahead and say he has his reasons - maybe he does. And I love woo as much as the next man. But I’m here to tell you - there are plenty of people who doubt that an old dog senses when it’s his time. Well, I can’t produce a cite on the word _plenty_, so I’ll just have to settle for saying that at least \*one \*person doubts it. > > I doubt it. I think a dog might just feel really sick, so it finds an out-of-the-way place to crash and hopefully heal where predators won’t find him so easily. Ha! So there are at least \*two \*who doubt it. We’ll soon be able to provide our own cite for the original statement of _plenty_. (How many will we need to prove plenty right?) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/27 "2010-09-25T01:37:41Z")
This news makes me want to watch the _Mitchell_ episode of MST3K. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/28 "2010-09-25T01:54:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And so will pass one of the giants of speculative fiction. Figuratively speaking, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/29 "2010-09-25T02:05:00Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > What does this mean for _Last Dangerous Visions_? With this news, its chances of being published are looking up. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/30 "2010-09-25T02:10:28Z")
Damn. Now I’ll never find out what the lie was. The linked article said his health’s been failing. He’s been an icon, and his presence will be missed. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/31 "2010-09-25T02:24:09Z")
Oh, Phuque, I suppose. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Enormously talented, endlessly fascinating, eternally frustrating. > > He’s often a total prick, but I’ll be sad when he finally passes. I really do enjoy his writing, across multiple genres. Pretty much summarizes my own take on Ellison. Hey, the brilliant can be, well, difficult, at times. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/32 "2010-09-25T02:40:20Z")
Ellison’s stories are never to be trusted. He frequently makes up things. Look at that list of what he did when running away as a kid. Look at this similar list in Wikipedia: > **[Harlan Ellison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison)** > > Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published works include more than 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, comic book scripts, teleplays, essays, and a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media. Some of his best-known works include the 1967 Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Elliso... Is it really likely that someone could be a carny, a logger, a fisherman, a crop picker, a hired gun, a nitroglycerine truck driver, a cook, a taxi driver, a lithographer, a book salesman, a deparment store floorwalker, a door-to-door salesman, and an actor by the time he was 18? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/33 "2010-09-25T02:45:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > And so will pass one of the giants of speculative fiction. > > Figuratively speaking, of course. “What would you say to a friendly little giant?” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/34 "2010-09-25T16:06:22Z")
I agree with those who say Ellison wrote some excellent work. But his death at this point will not cause us to lose any future works. Ellison essentially retired as an author back in the nineties (and virtually all of his significant work was done over thirty years ago). He’s one of those people who was big back in the sixties and has been trying to claim he’s still relevant ever since. So Ellison may actually be dying - or he may be proclaiming he’s dying to remind people he’s still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/35 "2010-09-25T16:15:14Z")
He did good work in the 70’s and 80’s too, and I don’t think he’s ever been one to care about publicity for its own sake. I don’t think there’s anything extraordinary about a guy in his mid 70’s starting think about his own mortality and feeling he probably doesn’t have much time left, especially if he’s had major heart issues. Talking about it loudly would be right in keeping with his standard way of dealing with personal drama. He does all his reflecting out loud. ---
**Author:** ![RedWood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f08c70/32.png) [@RedWood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedWood)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/36 "2010-09-25T17:03:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > \ > Repent ye, Harlan Ellison! > Says science fiction’s dead! \ Beat me to it! 🆒 :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/37 "2010-09-25T17:14:30Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t think he’s ever been one to care about publicity for its own sake. Admittedly, I’ve never met the man. But dozens of anecdotes I’ve heard about him (as well as the fact that I’ve heard all these anecdotes) have convinced me otherwise. I feel that Ellison cares very much about self-publicity. Apparently more than he cares about anything else, including his literary output. After all, he was willing to give up on writing and editing but he’s still actively seeking attention. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/38 "2010-09-25T17:39:46Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Is it really likely that someone could be a carny, a logger, a fisherman, a crop picker, a hired gun, a nitroglycerine truck driver, a cook, a taxi driver, a lithographer, a book salesman, a deparment store floorwalker, a door-to-door salesman, and an actor by the time he was 18? How did you get a copy of my resume? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/39 "2010-09-25T18:07:51Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Harlan is proof personified that enormously talented people can be total asses. We’re coming to a time - we’ve been coming to it for decades, really - when it’s going to be a _basic responsibility_ for a talented person to be a sonofa/bitch. A matter of conscience, if not brute survival. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868/40 "2010-09-25T22:26:04Z")
Hey, I’ve been saying for years that’s science fiction is dead. And I sure don’t do it for the publicity! 😃 I first met Harlan 40 years ago, a number that astounds me. Yes, he’s acted very badly in public at some times. He’s also done enormous amounts of good, both publicly and in private. In the ranks of talented assholes in science fiction, a horde whose size and viciousness would make Genghis Khan proud, Harlan is more talented than most and has been surprised in assholicity by many, many others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-old-harlan-ellison-is-dying/554868.md?page=3)