It is my sad duty to report that my friend, science fiction writer Howard Waldrop, died yesterday, January 14, 2024.
According to Robert Taylor: “Howard had a stroke around 1pm. EMS worked on him for over an hour. They got a pulse and took him to the hospital, but at the hospital they were unable to maintain the pulse and he died around 3pm.”
Howard had suffered a number of health maladies recently, but had been on the mend. I saw him just last week, and he was moving slightly better, and still mentally sharp.
I had known Howard since we interviewed him for Nova Express in 1987, and I’m one of the legions of people who corresponded with him (his preferred form of communication) when our respective journeys took us away from Austin.
Howard was one of the finest short story writers the field has ever produced. “The Ugly Chickens” is an acknowledged classic. “Night of the Cooters.” “Fin de Cycle.” “…The World As We Know’t.” “Horror We Got.” Great stories only Howard could have written. Plus great collaborations like “Black As the Pit, from Pole to Pole” (with Steve Utley) and “The Later Days of the Law” (with Bruce Sterling).
Howard was never far away from penury, and he relied on a network of friends to keep him above water. He rented a spare room from me for six months, for values of “rent” that included no exchange of money, but he did do odd jobs around the house, and he always paid his share of utilities. Before that I had paid him to stain and varnish several bookcases when I moved into my house.
Living with Howard was half like living with the smartest, most erudite man that ever lived, and half like living with Grandpa Simpson. Howard had a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of mid-20th century pop culture, and had seen just about every damn English language movie made up into the 1970s or so (and a bunch of foreign ones beside). His knowledge of history was similarly immense.
And then he would do things like come into the kitchen were I was bleary-eyedly eating breakfast and tell me “You know, the milk at the local HEB is three cents more than the milk at the HEB down south.” As though this was information vital to my existence.
Howard was brilliant, but he was also as stubborn as the day is long, and a decided Luddite. He never owned a computer and would only use one under duress (he grudgingly agreed to enter his portion of our joint movie reviews into my Mac when he lived here). At one point around 1989 or so, Howard was at (I think) Pat Cadigan’s house after a con, and joined one of our Delphi Wednesday Night Group chats (attended by Gardner Dozois, Mike Resnick, and a host of other luminaries, many now also gone). “Howard, what do you think of cyberspace?” “It’s icky!”
Howard loved movies, television, history, reading, and fishing, and got around to writing either when deadlines pressed, or when all the pieces finally mentally clicked into place just so.
I mourn for Howard, and for the numerous in-progress works we may never get to read. Maybe enough of The Moone World (in progress since the late 1980s) exists for someone like longtime friend George R. R. Martin to finish it. I suspect even less exists of the even-longer in gestation I, John Mandeville. And Moving Waters, a fictional history of America through third-party politics and fishing, probably only existed in Howard’s head.
Howard was universally loved by pretty much everyone he knew and the science fiction field as a whole. He was our own homegrown Mr. National Treasure and a sturdy friend, and will be greatly missed.
Howard after tripping on some steps at the 2013 San Antonio Worldcon.
Tags: Austin, Howard Waldrop, Obituary, Science Fiction
Thank you Lawrence, well done. Howard talked about the _The Moone World_ so often I was sure one day that I had read it.
Lawrence, I’m very saddened to read about the loss of your Pal, Howard.
I’m very glad he got to hold H’ard Starts in his hands. I hope his literary executor can pull together some publishable pieces.
What a lovely piece, Lawrence. I enjoyed the personal anecdotes immensely. I feel sure you also learned a lot about fishing from Howard whether you were interested or not. A true eccentric and a lovely sweet guy.
Lawrence, thank you.
Lawrence,
I appreciate your obit for Howard. It eases my heart to know that you and others were spending time with him in the past years. I long ago left Texas and had lost my direct connection to Howard. However he was a special light in the Science Fiction sky and was there at the start of my fannish existence in the mid-1970s (and beyond).
Thank you.
Robin (former TAMU Cepheid and ArmadilloCon member)
[…] Lawrence Person’s Waldrop obituary is especially recommended. However, there is no better introduction to Howard than the one he wrote himself for the now-shuttered SFF Net. […]
Thank you, Lawrence, for this remembrance of Howard. I only ever saw Howard at two cons. One, of course, was Loscon 46 over Thanksgiving weekend in 2019, where he was Professional Writer Guest of Honor. That was my one experience chairing a con, and I didn’t get to see as much of his program items as I would have wanted.
The other occasion had been Armadillocon 41, a few months earlier. I had been corresponding with Howard by mail, plus the occasional phone call, and after reading the greater part of his published fiction I just HAD to meet him.
I’m glad he had friends like you, and John Purcell (my old buddy from my days in Minneapolis in the 1980s), George Railroad Martin, and others. Reading what youse guys wrote about Howard brings me a little closer to having known him better — which is something I would truly have liked to do.
Lawrence, thank you for providing the sad news of Howard’s passing. I first met Howard at the 1968 Southwesterncon in Dallas. That was before he started his pro career, and we all knew him as another bnf in comics fandom, who contributed to the Texas Trio’s (Buddy Saunders, Larry Herndon, and Howard Keltner) seminal comic strip fanzine, Star Studded Comics. Howard wrote some scripts for their stories, but also some good, early text short stories. I remember especially “Vale, Proditor”. The last time I saw Howard was at the ‘77 WorldCon in Miami. But 10-15 years ago, I got one of his new books from Lawrence, who was kind enough to get Howard to inscribe it to me. I followed his pro writing since the 70s – SO many amazing stories, many now classics of the genre. You’ve gotta love anyone who could come up with “The Ugly Chickens”! I’ll miss him enormously, as well as his erudite, original stories. So long, pod’ner!
Thanks, Lawrence, for this remembrance. I’ve only met Howard once, when he signed a copy of Howard Who? despite grumbling that it had already been signed. I’ve read so many of his stories multiple times, and I know that now I’ll need to go back and read them again. He’s truly an original writer.
I was just thinking about Waldrop during the holidays: I had re-read The Ugly Chickens (selected by Harry Turtledove for My Favorite Science Fiction Story) and then saw Asteroid City (twice!) and thought to myself, “Wes Anderson should really adapt some of Waldrop’s stories!” Best wishes to all of Howard’s friends and family.
Thanks, Lawrence, I’m a day late in finding out about Howard’s death but your remembrance of him is beautiful. I only met him once in 2015 but we corresponded regularly for the last 8 years. I always thought of him as my adopted uncle; he was my favorite writer and an all-around nice guy. I spoke with him briefly on the phone last month and he still sounded sharp and energetic despite his health problems. It’s hard to believe he’s gone, and I’m devastated.
I am so very sorry that Hard is gone (old Gardner Dozois joke). Howard was a writer’s writer and a very funny man. I remember hearing him read new stories at Turkey City workshop; to this day I “hear” them in his voice. Many love “The Ugly Chickens”, quite justifiably, but my favorite will always be “Night of the Cooters”. The world is a little darker without him.
Oh, this hits me really hard. Howard was always such a funny, warm, entertaining guy whom I knew mostly from his convention appearances and once when I visited the Austin SF club back in the ’70s or ’80s.
I first met Howard around 1975 when I was in line behind him at a midnight showing of “A Boy and His Dog” in an Austin theater (maybe Dobie Center?).
My favorite memory of Howard was from a Worldcon where he gave a solo performance of the 10-minute version of Dr. Strangelove – hilarious.
Whenever I could get to Austin for ArmadilloCon, the high point would always be Howard reading a story or novel fragment.
The Science Fiction community has lost a giant.
I only learned of Howard’s death today. He wasn’t well known here (Australia), but was absolutely one of my favourite authors.
I shall miss the stories he never got to write.