We lost one of the greats today.  Richard Matheson has passed.  One of the best and most prolific writers of science fiction and horror.   :'(

I am Legend, Duel, The Night Stalker, The Incredible Shrinking Man, almost as many Twilight Episodes as Rod Serling, Night Gallery, Star Trek, A Stir of Echoes, The Prey (Trilogy of Terror) and the list goes on and on.
Impossible to understate his importance to the genre.

It is now more poignant that INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN was a centerpiece of this year''s marathon. An immense talent across many media. His kind doesn't come along often.

I came here knowing that LA and others would have posted on Matheson.
I did not hear of his death until this morning when I read a full page tribute on page 2 of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It is detailed, hugely respectful and covers not only his work but his influence.
http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2013/06/richard_matheson_legendary_fantasy_writer_and_twilight_zone_contributor_dies_at_age_87.html
Not surprising given that the author, the PD television critic, was not just a friend but a colleague, having edited three of Matherson's short story collections.
To add to the detail mentioned by Caleb & LA - - -
Matheson wrote the screenplays of many of the Poe movies, influenced Romero,Stephen King & most other subsequent creators in the genre. His plethora of television and movie scripts practically defined the genre.
Quote: "I don't like the word horror. --- Horror is something visceral, whereas terror is something mental. . . I prefer terror.Horror has become a dirty word. It means blood and guts...body parts. Boris Karloff was a horror actor... Lovectaft a horror writer Now everyone just thinks of the gruesome movie stuff."