Interview with the Vampire author Anne Rice dies

The Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice has died at the age of 80.

The writer's son, Christopher Rice, announced on Sunday that his mother had passed away on Saturday evening as a result of complications from a stroke.

"The immensity of our family's grief cannot be overstated. As my mother, her support for me was unconditional - she taught me to embrace my dreams, reject conformity and challenge the dark voices of fear and self-doubt. As a writer, she taught me to defy genre boundaries and surrender to my obsessive passions," he stated. "In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage, awash in memories of a life that took us from the fog laced hills of the San Francisco Bay Area to the magical streets of New Orleans to the twinkling vistas of Southern California."

Rice delved into the genres of gothic fiction, Christian literature, and erotic literature. She was perhaps best known for her 1976 debut novel, Interview with the Vampire.

The book was adapted into a film in 1994, with the movie starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and a young Kristen Dunst.

Her 1988 novel, The Queen of the Damned, was also made into a film in 2002, with the flick featuring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah.

Elsewhere in his statement, Christopher noted Anne will be interred at the family mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.

While that will be a private ceremony, he is planning a public celebration of her life next year.