OBIT: Robert Sheckley died Friday, Dec. 9, 2005

Noted fantasy writer and longtime Portlander Robert Sheckley died Friday, Dec. 9, 2005, in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., hospital, 28 days after he was stricken with a brain aneurysm. In recent days, he went into a coma from which he never awakened. He was 77.

Noted fantasy writer and longtime Portlander Robert Sheckley died Friday, Dec. 9, 2005, in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., hospital, 28 days after he was stricken with a brain aneurysm. In recent days, he went into a coma from which he never awakened. He was 77Sheckley, who lived in Portland for almost 20 years before moving in 2003, had a variety of health problems, from late-stage emphysema to heart attacks, but had rallied from them all. He made headlines in May when he collapsed with a severe cold while in Kiev, Ukraine, where he was the guest of honor at a convention of science fiction writers and fans. He contracted pneumonia, fell unconscious and remained gravely ill for a while but recovered enough to be flown to his daughter's home near Pine Plains, N.Y.

He regained his vitality in New York and was in communication with friends and family, including his wife, Portland writer Gail Dana. He lived in an apartment in Red Hook, about 20 miles from his daughter, Anya Sheckley. The day he suffered his aneurysm, he had hiked into town with his ever-present backpack full of books.

Sheckley wrote many novels, short stories, scripts and magazine pieces. He was especially popular in Europe, where his books were translated into Russian, Polish, Italian, French and other languages. He was in demand at science fiction conventions, and organizers flew him to New Zealand, France, Romania, England and other countries where his work was revered. When he appeared, he was treated like "a rock star," family members said.

Among his works were such collections as "Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?" "Citizen in Space" and "Is That What People Do?" He wrote dozens of novels, including "The Game of X," "Dimension of Miracles" and "Mindswap," which he said he thought was one of his best works.

Among his works were such collections as "Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?" "Citizen in Space" and "Is That What People Do?" He wrote dozens of novels, including "The Game of X," "Dimension of Miracles" and "Mindswap," which he said he thought was one of his best worksHis book "Immortality Inc." was adapted for a film called "Freejack," starring Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo and Mick Jagger. "The 10th Victim" became an Italian movie starring Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress. He also wrote for graphic novels, multimedia games, television and other mediums.

In Portland, Sheckley lived a mostly quiet and ascetic life. Clad in well-worn bluejeans and T-shirts, he carried his backpack of books around, frequently hiking from the east side across the Willamette River to the Central Library and Powell's Books. He spent many hours in the library's Sterling Room for Writers, where writers could work in semi-privacy.

He also participated in the Community of Writers, a nonprofit program that brought writers and poets into classrooms.

"He was really gentle with the kids," said Larry Colton, who founded and oversaw the writing program. "Some teachers said, 'Some kids I could never get to write, he got to write.' "

Sheckley was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1928. He grew up in New York and New Jersey, and served in Korea with the U.S. Army. He was a self-employed freelancer most of his adult life, though he was an editor for Omni magazine from 1979 to 1982. He traveled widely and said he yearned to return to the island of Ibiza, where he was a member of a loose-knit community of artists in the 1970s.

He will be buried in the Artists Cemetery in Woodstock, N.Y., most likely on Tuesday, Dec. 13, Anya Sheckley said. Arrangements are being handled by Simpson-Gaus Funeral Home of Kingston, N.Y.