Writer Arthur C Clarke dies at 90

British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90

The Somerset-born author came to fame in 1968 when short story The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick

His visions of space travel and computing sparked the imagination of readers and scientists alike

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse paid tribute, hailing the writer as a "great visionary"

Since 1995, the author had been largely confined to a wheelchair by post-polio syndrome

He died at 0130 local time (2000 GMT) of respiratory complications and heart failure, according to his aide, Rohan De Silva

Source:news.bbc.co.uk