Sir Terry Pratchett passed away in his home, with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on Thursday.
Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers, said in a statement: “The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.”
The talented author made sure to write himself out of his own story, however, taking to Twitter to share one last message with fans.
He wrote, in the iconic capitalised letters of Discworld's Death:
'"AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER."
'Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.
'The End.'
It was a perfect way of saying goodbye to one of the UK's most famous authors - not to mention one of the world's most famous humanists.
Sir Terry, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2007, defended the right to decide on assisted death, saying that he believes "it should be possible for someone stricken with a serious and ultimately fatal illness to choose to die peacefully with medical help, rather than suffer."
Sir Terry written more than 70 books over his lengthy career, but he is, perhaps, best known for the Discworld series, which brought us such amazing characters as Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Ridcully, Rincewind, Corporal Carrot, Commander Sam Vimes, and more.
In these books, he satirised the world - and he did so hilariously and sensitively, giving us pause to stop and think about our lives, our political system, our films, our culture, and plenty more besides.
Many of us have grown up reading his books - and so, in a way, grew up with Sir Terry Pratchett.
And it is, in his books, that Sir Terry Pratchett's legacy will endure for decades to come.
Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife, his daughter, his family, and his friends. May he rest in peace.