LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- Michael Crichton , who helped create the TV show `` ER '' and wrote the best-sellers `` Jurassic Park , '' `` The Andromeda Strain , '' `` Sphere '' and `` Rising Sun , '' has died in Los Angeles , his public relations firm said in a news release . Michael Crichton , here in 2005 , was a director and best-selling author . He co-created the TV series `` ER . '' Crichton died unexpectedly Tuesday `` after a courageous and private battle against cancer , '' the release said . He was 66 . Crichton , a medical doctor , was attracted to cautionary science tales . Watch more about the life of Crichton » . `` Jurassic Park '' -- perhaps his best-known work -- concerned capturing the DNA of dinosaurs and bringing them to life on a modern island , where they soon run amok ; `` The Andromeda Strain , '' his first major fiction success , involves an alien microorganism that 's studied in a special military compound after causing death in a nearby community . Crichton also invited controversy with some of his scientific views . He was an avowed skeptic of global climate change , giving lectures warning against `` consensus science . '' He later took on global warming and the theories surrounding it in his 2004 novel , `` State of Fear , '' which attracted attacks in its own right from scientists , including NASA climatologist James Hansen . iReport.com : Were you a fan ? Share your tributes . Crichton was a distinctive figure in the entertainment business , a trained physician whose interests included writing , filmmaking and television . ( He was physically distinctive as well , standing 6 feet 9 inches . ) He published `` The Andromeda Strain '' while he was still a medical student at Harvard Medical School . He wrote a story about a 19th-century train robbery , called `` The Great Train Robbery , '' and then directed the 1979 film version . He also directed several other films , including `` Westworld '' ( 1973 ) , `` Coma '' ( 1978 ) , `` Looker '' ( 1981 ) and `` Runaway '' ( 1984 ) . In 1993 , while working on the film version of `` Jurassic Park '' with Steven Spielberg , he teamed with the director to create `` ER . '' The NBC series set in a Chicago emergency room debuted in 1994 and became a huge hit , making a star of George Clooney . Crichton originally wrote the script for the pilot in 1974 . `` Michael 's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park , ' `` said Spielberg , a friend of Crichton 's for 40 years , according to The Associated Press . `` He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts , which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth . ... Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels . There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place . '' Crichton was `` an extraordinary man . Brilliant , funny , erudite , gracious , exceptionally inquisitive and always thoughtful , '' `` ER '' executive producer John Wells told the AP . `` No lunch with Michael lasted less than three hours and no subject was too prosaic or obscure to attract his interest . Sexual politics , medical and scientific ethics , anthropology , archaeology , economics , astronomy , astrology , quantum physics , and molecular biology were all regular topics of conversation . '' Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942 and grew up in New York 's suburbs . His father was a journalist and Michael loved the writing profession . He went to medical school partly out of a concern he would n't be able to make writing a career , but the success of `` The Andromeda Strain '' in 1969 -- the book was chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club and optioned by Hollywood -- made him change his mind , though he still had an M.D . Though most of Crichton 's books were major best-sellers involving science , he could ruffle feathers when he took on social issues . `` Rising Sun '' ( 1992 ) came out during a time when Americans feared Japanese ascendance , particularly when it came to technology . `` Disclosure '' ( 1994 ) was about a sexual harassment case . iReport.com : How did Crichton 's work affect you ? Share your tributes . Crichton won an Emmy , a Peabody , a Writers Guild of America Award for `` ER , '' and won other awards as well . `` Through his books , Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages , challenged scientists in many fields , and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand , '' the news release said . Crichton was married five times and had one child . A private funeral service is expected .
Michael Crichton wrote several best - sellers , including ` ` Jurassic Park '' Crichton , a writer , also helped create popular television shows ` ` ER '' He died after ` ` courageous and private battle against cancer , '' he says .