RIP Peter Benchley

If creature features and adventures at sea are your bag, you will undoubtedly know author Peter Benchley’s work. He changed the face of underwater terror, and Saturday night, Benchley died at the age of 65 due to fatal scarring of the lungs.

Benchley was the brains behind Steven Speilberg’s masterpiece JAWS– he not only wrote the novel, but co-scripted the final shooting script with Speilberg as well, spawning a franchise of shark movies, and a social movement to be afraid to go back in the water.

He also wrote the novels that movies THE DEEP, THE ISLAND, BEAST and WHITE SHARK were all based on- all revolving around the terror at sea. His love for the sea brought some truly great novels- if you haven’t sat down and read JAWS, I suggest you do- while Speilberg followed it pretty close, books are always better.

To read up more on the man behind our fear of sharks, go ahead and click HERE. Our thoughts go out to his wife Wendy, his 3 children and 5 grandchildren- you will be missed.