Sir Terry Pratchett, author of more than 70 novels, including 40 in his satirical fantasy series Discworld, died at his home Thursday. Pratchett was 66. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2007, and continued to write as he struggled with the onset of dementia.

His final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was announced last year.

"One of the first things to go was the touch-typing. Kind of a bugger , I thought. Fortunately, technology has come to my aid," he said in 2012, five years after he had announced his "embuggerance" to the world. He continued writing via voice recognition software and by dictating to his assistant, Rob Wilkins.

Pratchett became the public face of both Alzheimer's and the right to die with dignity, thanks to two BBC documentaries, 2009's BAFTA-award-winning Living With Alzheimer's and 2012's Choosing to Die, and his powerful 2010 lecture "Shaking Hands With Death":

"[I] vowed that rather than let Alzheimer's take me, I would take it. I would live my life as ever to the full and die, ­before the disease mounted its last ­attack, in my own home, in a chair on the lawn, with a brandy in my hand to wash down whatever modern ­version of the 'Brompton cocktail' some ­helpful medic could supply. And with ­Thomas Tallis on my iPod, I would shake hands with Death."

Pratchett's family made the announcement of his passing on Twitter—his publisher confirmed his death this morning—imagining that final encounter between Terry and Death:

Pratchett's daughter, Rhianna, is also a writer. In 2011 Pratchett announced that he had given her his blessing to continue writing the Discworld series after his death.

"The Discworld is safe in my daughter's hands," he told the New Statesman at the time.

[Photo: AP]