Cussler, best-selling author and adventurer, dead at 88
Clive Cussler, the author and maritime adventurer who captivated millions with his bestselling tales of suspense and who, between books, led scores of expeditions to find historic shipwrecks and lost treasures in the ocean depths, died Monday at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 88.
His death was confirmed by a spokeswoman for his publisher, Penguin Random House. No specific cause of death was given.
Mayan jungles, undersea kingdoms, ghost ships, evil forces out to destroy the world, beautiful women, heroes modeled on himself — Cussler’s vivid literary fantasies and his larger-than-life exploits swirled together for four decades, spinning off 85 books and locating almost as many shipwrecks.
A college dropout who once pumped gas and wrote advertising copy, Cussler wrote mostly action thrillers, plus nonfiction accounts of his marine quests and a few children’s books.
His books sales have been staggering — more than 100 million copies. Translated into 40 or so languages, his books reached The New York Times’ best-seller lists more than 20 times, as he amassed a fortune estimated at $80 million.
Often compared to the thrillers churned out by Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum and Ian Fleming, the Cussler novels featured formulaic plots, one- or two-word titles (“Cyclops,” “Dragon,” “Inca Gold,” “Poseidon’s Arrow”) and frequently a recurring hero, Dirk Pitt, an undersea explorer who saves the world as he foils the diabolical plots of megalomaniac villains, while satisfying his taste for exotic cars and lusty women.
He first created the National Underwater and Marine Agency as a fictional government organization. Then, in 1979, he founded an actual National Underwater and Marine Agency as a private nonprofit group. With Cussler leading expeditions and joining dives, the organization eventually located about 60 wrecks.
His “Journey of the Pharaohs,” written with Graham Brown, is set to be published in March.