Arthur C. Clarke dies in Sri Lanka at age 90 , aide says . `` 2001 : A Space Odyssey '' was perhaps his best known work . In a videotaped 90th birthday message to fans , Clarke said he still hoped to see some sign of intelligent life beyond Earth , more work on alternatives to fossil fuels -- and `` closer to home , '' an end to the 25-year civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and ethnic Tamil separatists . He and Stanley Kubrick shared Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay . It is a story of the first manned mission to Mars ( which he wrote ) and how it affects humanity as we travel through space on our way to another planet.
Arthur C. Clarke dies in Sri Lanka at age 90 , aide says . `` 2001 : A Space Odyssey '' was perhaps his best known work . He and Stanley Kubrick shared Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay . It is a story of the first manned mission to Mars ( which he wrote ) and how it affects humanity as we travel through space on our way to another planet.