Fantasy author Terry Pratchett has died, aged 66. BBC News reports that Terry's publisher Transworld confirmed the news. A statement from Transworld read: "Terry passed away in his home, with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on 12th March 2015. "Diagnosed with PCA[1] in 2007, he battled the progressive disease with his trademark determination and creativity, and continued to write". It is thought that Terry, who penned a number of successful books including the Discworld series, had been battling Alzhemier's disease for a number of years.

The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds. Rest in peace, Sir Terry Pratchett. — Transworld Books (@TransworldBooks) March 12, 2015

Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers, said: "I was deeply saddened to learn that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds. "In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirize this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention. "Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come. "My sympathies go out to Terry's wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him."