Dan Simmons, an American science fiction and horror writer, died on February 21, 2026, at age 77.
Born Daniel Joseph Simmons in Peoria, Illinois, on April 4, 1948, he was the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles. His work spanned science fiction, horror and fantasy, sometimes within a single novel.
Song of Kali, published in 1985, won the World Fantasy Award. Simmons also wrote mysteries and thrillers, including works featuring the character Joe Kurtz.
Daniel Joseph Simmons (April 4, 1948 – February 21, 2026) was an American science fiction and horror writer. He was the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons’s genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also wrote mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.