Author Arthur C. Clarke dead at 90

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Famed British science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke has died in Sri Lanka, a message posted Tuesday on the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation's Web site disclosed.

Clarke was 90 when he died in Sri Lanka, his adopted home of more than 50 years, according to a biography on the foundation's Web site.

Best known for writing the sci-fi classic "2001: A Space Odyssey," Clarke also penned dozens of other works of fiction, as well as numerous scientific books and papers.

Born in Minehead in Somerset, England, Clarke had a lifelong interest in space and science.

He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and afterward earned degrees in physics and mathematics at King's College in London.

The writer and scientist was knighted by the Queen of England in 1998 for all of his contributions.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.