Ray Bradbury in 1923 in Waukegan, Ill. "When I was born in 1920," he said in 2000, "the auto was only 20 years old. Radio didn't exist. TV didn't exist. I was born at just the right time to write about all of these things."

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Ray Bradbury | 1920 - 2012

Ray Bradbury in 1923 in Waukegan, Ill. "When I was born in 1920," he said in 2000, "the auto was only 20 years old. Radio didn't exist. TV didn't exist. I was born at just the right time to write about all of these things." (Joshua Odell Editions / Capra Press)

The author in 1950. Bradbury wrote more than 27 novels and story collections — including “The Martian Chronicles,” “Fahrenheit 451,” “Dandelion Wine,” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes” — and more than 600 short stories. (Morris Dollens)

The Bradbury familiy in 1958: From left, Bettina, 3; Ray; Ramona, 7; Susan, 8; and Marguerite. (Los Angeles Times )

The science fiction writer, in 1966, looks over the results of a high school project tied to one of his works. (Associated Press)

Ray Bradbury and his wife Marguerite, or “Maggie,” are shown at their home in 1970. (Los Angeles Times)

Bradbury (in 1975) didn’t drive a car. But he was often out and about in L.A., browsing bookstores’ stacks, his bicycle propped just outside. (Los Angeles Times)

An undated photo shows George Burns and a young Ray Bradbury. (Los Angeles Times)

Bradbury, in his office in 1985, had said he didn’t throw anything away. (Los Angeles Times)

Bradbury is surrounded by toys and treasures in his Beverly Hills office in 1986. (Doug Pizac / Associated Press)

The author in his office in 1987. (Los Angeles Times)

His Illinois hometown named a park in his honor. Bradbury (in 1990) included the setting in “Dandelion Wine.” (Associated Press)

Ray Bradbury, sitting in front of a mask from one of his plays, told the L.A. Times in 1995: “What I love about this theater and small theaters like it is that you are on Mars. You’re right there with the characters and you can see what they’re feeling, and you can feel what they’re feeling. I’d like to think that in my work, that’s important.” (Los Angeles Times)

In 2000, Bradbury chatted with The Times about his classic “Dandelion Wine,” which was turned into a popular musical. The production was being reprised at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Charlton Heston was among those at the 80th-birthday bash thrown for Bradbury in 2000 at Burbank’s Colony Theatre. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Author Ray Bradbury is amused by the approach of a fan before receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. (Los Angeles Times)

In April of 2002, the author speaks at UCLA’s Royce Hall during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

In Venice, Bradbury speaks to a crowd during the city’s 2005 centennial celebration. He told of the Venice apartment he shared with wife Marguerite in the 1940s. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Ray Bradbury delivers a talk at the 2007 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the UCLA campus. (Charley Gallay / Getty Images)

Ray Bradbury embraces himself as he speaks at the Acres of Books on his last visit to the bookstore on June 25, 2008. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)

The author signs books during the 2009 L.A. Times Festival of Books at UCLA. (Christina House / For The Times)

Ray Bradbury happily accepts a gift of a Clifton’s Cafeteria tray from Robert Clinton, grandson of Clifton’s founder Clifford Clinton, as he celebrates his 89th birthday in 2009 with friends at a luncheon at the historic eatery where he was allowed to eat for free when he was a struggling writer. As a young man, Bradbury, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and Jack Parsons, inventor of solid rocket fuel, belonged to a science fiction club that met downtown at the cafeteria in the late 1930s. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)