RIP Christopher Tolkien

LONDON (AP) – Christopher Tolkien, who played a major role protecting the legacy of his father’s The Lord of the Rings series, has died. He was 95.

The Tolkien Society and HarperCollins UK confirmed his death but no details were provided.

Tolkien’s life work was closely identified with that of his father, J.R.R. Tolkien. He helped edit and publish much of his father’s writings after the science fiction and fantasy master died in 1973.

Among the books he worked on were The Silmarillion, The Children Of Hurin, and other texts that flesh out the complex world his father created.

He also drew the original maps that adorned the trilogy of books released in the 1950s.

Tolkien Society chairman Shaun Gunner said “millions of people around the world will be forever grateful to Christopher for bringing us” so many of his father’s literary works.

“Christopher’s commitment to his father’s works have seen dozens of publications released, and his own work as an academic in Oxford demonstrates his ability and skill as a scholar,” he said. “We have lost a titan and he will be sorely missed.”