Anne Rice, author of Gothic novels, dies in N.O at age 80

Renowned author Anne Rice, known for her many Gothic novels, has died at the age of 80, her family announced Sunday.
Rice died from complications of a stroke Saturday evening.
The popular author is best known for her novel “Interview With the Vampire,” that was turned into a hit movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt 18 years after it was written.
Rice wrote many Gothic horror novels, with her series The Vampire Chronicles being her most well-known works, with “Interview With the Vampire,” “Queen of the Damned,” and “The Vampire Lestat” among the works in the series.
Her son Christopher said that Rice will be interred in the family’s mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony.
“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,” Christopher wrote.
“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.”
A celebration of Rice’s life is being planned in New Orleans that will take place next year and be open to the public.