He's in the Encyclopedia Britannica between Ellis Island and Ralph Ellison
Saddened to learn of the passing of Harlan Ellison today. He had a good, long run though! I have a funny story about him in my memoir (So L.A.), but to tell it briefly here: he and my mom (Nancy Bacon) dated briefly in the '60s. I didn't meet him until 2001 at the Los Angeles Times Book Fair. When I mentioned my mom's name, his eyes lit right up--she made quite an impression! (He proposed, she laughed it off... she was quite the wild, free spirit back then.) Anyway, he asked for her phone number and they reconnected.
Harlan and I kept in touch intermittently over the years, and when I worked for the SyFy Channel as their West Coast correspondent, I interviewed him on-camera a few times. He was such a bright, quick-witted, sarcastic and brilliant man! He was bristly, but he had many, many friends and he was loyal.
I love the documentary about him, DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH. You should watch it (and if you've already seen it -- watch it again)! He was a true and deserving legend.
He was also a very vocal advocate for writers' rights. Check him out in this clip, "Pay the Writer!" (When I find out where he's buried, I will pay my respects... literally. I'd love to see his gravestone decked with coins and cash!)
Sadly, none of my interviews with him survived the closings of the SyFy.com and Horror.com websites, so -- here's the next best thing (better, probably), a 2013 interview with Harlan published in The Guardian.
