'Jaws' Author Peter Benchley Dies at 65

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/12/AR2006021200787.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/entertainmentnews ^

[lunarbicep]

NEW YORK -- Peter Benchley, whose novel "Jaws" terrorized millions of swimmers even as the author himself became an advocate for the conservation of sharks, has died at age 65, his widow said Sunday.

Wendy Benchley, married to the author for 41 years, said he died Saturday night at their home in Princeton, N.J. The cause of death, she said, was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and a fatal scarring of the lungs.

Thanks to Benchley's 1974 novel, and Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie of the same name, the simple act of ocean swimming became synonymous with fatal horror, of still water followed by ominous, pumping music, then teeth and blood and panic.

"Spielberg certainly made the most superb movie; Peter was very pleased," Wendy Benchley told The Associated Press.

"But Peter kept telling people the book was fiction, it was a novel, and that he no more took responsibility for the fear of sharks than Mario Puzo took responsibility for the Mafia."

[HitmanLV]

Died young. A shame.

[Peach]

65. That's young these days.

[jonsie]

Wow! I have been watching all the "Jaws" movies today on the SciFi Channel. May he rest in peace.

[martin_fierro]

He sleeps with the fishes.

R.I.P.

[Phsstpok]

The man has his immortality, thanks to Steven Spielberg. 1,000 years from now people will still know about JAWS!

There are things that Steven Spielberg will have to atone for in the afterlife. Munich comes to mind. But Jaws is not one of them.

Of course, Bruce the shark may have a different perspective.

[willieroe]

Now that is still a scary movie....

[Daniel Ramsey]

dam thats a shame to lose someone we all knew. may you rest in peace Peter.

[JRios1968]

Will he be buried at sea?

[mware]

Damn I have been watching the series of Jaw movies all day.

[solitas]

A good bibliography:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/peter-benchley/

[31M20RedDevil]

I thought Jaws was one scary movie too.

RIP Peter Benchley.

Read the story of the USS Indianapolis for a real shark story.

[Fintan]

Check out the USS Indianapolis site...

[VOA]

IIRC, he wrote "The Island" which was also made into a film (not the
film-bomb of last summer).
The scene in which Michael Caine and the twin .50 caliber Browning Machine
Guns have their close-up...priceless.

[mass55th]

One of my favorite movies based on a Benchley book is The Deep with Robert Shaw, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bissett. I love underwater pictures. It was just on again last week. Another good movie based on a Benchley book is The Island, with Michael Caine.

[satchmodog9]

Rest in Peace

[Unmarked Package]

"The cause of death, she said, was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and a fatal scarring of the lungs."

"Idiopathic" in this context means no cause can be found. Sorry to hear this...very sad.

[ken5050]

Please note that though he died too young, at 65, he was married to the SAME WOMAN for 41 years...How nice..

[lowbridge]

Peter Benchley jumps the shark.

[SamAdams76]

File under "Didn't know he was still alive."

Seriously, it's been so long since I heard of Peter Benchley that I figured he must have passed on at some time previously. After all, "Jaws" came out decades ago and I had Benchley pegged for a much older man.

65, that is very young to die these days. He must have been awfully young when he wrote that book.