[From a Facebook post on the personal account of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, as written by Wiley Saichek on behalf of the Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Estate]

We are sad to share the news that dear friend and iconic author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro passed away on Sunday, August 31st, just 15 days short of her 83rd birthday.

Quinn’s health had been declining for some time in ways which gradually limited her mobility, productivity, and communications. Over a year ago she became bedridden, and then her kidneys failed, which required being taken in an ambulance to dialysis three times a week. Despite this very difficult treatment regimen she remained brightly engaged, surrounded by books while binging her favorite TV shows and classical music channels, and enjoying visits from friends.

At the beginning of August an irritating patch of shingles appeared on Quinn’s arm. A few days later she became comatose and unresponsive overnight. At the hospital, tests showed that the virus responsible for the shingles attack had made its way into Quinn’s spinal fluid and brain and was now an aggressive case of meningitis. A two-week course of antiviral drugs and other care followed.

On Sunday, August 24th, Quinn’s heart stopped. The hospital staff was able to resuscitate her, but afterward she was totally unresponsive and needed a ventilator to support her breathing. MRI scans later confirmed that loss of oxygen after the heart stoppage had resulted in major injuries to her brain, leaving Quinn in a persistent vegetative state from which she would never wake up.

Quinn’s advance medical directive regarding this possibility was absolutely clear…so on Friday, August 29th, while some of her favorite classical music played, she was given comfort care and taken off mechanical life support. On site to celebrate her life and send her on were close friends Charles and Peggy Lucke, Connor Cochran, Tracy Blackstone, Megan Kincaid, Lucia Knight, Gaye Raymond, and former husband Don Simpson. Steve Rawlins attended via video connection from Texas. Other close friends held their own vigils from wherever they resided.

The doctors were clear that there was no way to tell how long Quinn’s unconscious body might continue on its own, due to the nature of the brain damage she had suffered. It might be minutes, hours, or even days. But they promised to monitor her condition closely and make sure she was never in any discomfort.

The process of letting go took 42 hours. Don and Connor kept vigil to the very end. At 7 AM on Sunday Connor was sitting at Quinn’s bedside when her slow, steady breathing changed pace, and finally came to a stop at 7:10.

Then Don sang her a special song he had written for her, in Esperanto, during the night. We share this translation here with his permission:

WORDS FOR QUINN

(by Don Simpson)
Star of my heart
I will miss you
Your love was gold
It healed me
Travel safely,
Travel safely,
I will miss you

Following Quinn’s instructions, there will be a memorial service (with magicians, no less) exactly one year and one day after her death. We’ll post news about it here as plans take shape. It is going to be one hell of a celebration — a chance to honor a remarkable woman who left her mark on more genres of modern literature than most writers ever dream of attempting, let alone succeeding at. The epic Saint-Germain Vampire Cycle, her Chesterton Holte and Charlie Spotted Moon mystery series, award-winning fantasy and science fiction such as False Dawn, Ariosto and Time of the Fourth Horseman—these memorable works will amaze, entertain, and challenge readers for many decades to come.

Quinn leaves behind good friends who will miss her deeply, and a worldwide audience of fans. Those fans will be pleased to know that Quinn completed several new books before her illness interrupted her work. As Quinn previously shared here, those titles are still in the process of being edited and will be released as that work is completed. Plans to re-release her out of print books are also still underway in addition to publishing these new treasures.

The Works of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Writing for over 45 years, Yarbro worked in a wide variety of genres, from science fiction to westerns, from young adult adventure to historical horror. She was the author of over 70 novels and numerous short stories. In addition to the Count Saint-Germain novels, she also published numerous volumes in a popular series of channeled wisdom from the entity Michael in the Messages from Michael series.

Yarbro’s contribution to the horror genre has been recognised in a variety of ways: she was named a Grand Master at the World Horror Convention in 2003, and in 2005 the International Horror Guild named her a “Living Legend”. She has received the Knightly Order of the Brasov Citadel from the Transylvanian Society of Dracula. The Horror Writers’ Association presented Yarbro with the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In 2014, she was honored with the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Two of her novels, The Palace (1979) and Ariosto (1980) were nominated for the World Fantasy Award.

In 2016, she reported that on average, she wrote three to four books and one or two short stories and/or essays a year. She wrote six hours per day, six days per week except when traveling. Five days a week she spent three to four hours doing research.

Aside from writing, she worked as a cartographer, read tarot card and palms, and composed music. Over the years she studied seven instruments, voice, and musical theory: composition, voice, and piano continued to be active interests for her. The newsletter, Yclept Yarbro, about her and her writings has been published since 1995 by Lindig Hall Harris. She played a major role in popularizing The Eye of Argon, a novella that became part of widespread science fiction convention reading game.

A Final Plea and Tribute

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for remaining care expenses that Quinn’s insurance did not cover. That link is here. Any and all help is welcomed by Quinn’s estate.