Douglas Adams

British author — creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — who died at 49 of a heart attack — whose combination of philosophical wit, genuine scientific curiosity, and comic timing made him the most beloved British comic writer of his generation.

Creates the comic SF series with philosophical depth — Adams's combination of genuine philosophical questioning (the meaning of existence, the limitations of consciousness, the absurdity of bureaucracy) with British comic timing and love of technology is unique in the genre.