Stephen King has announced some devastating news to fans at 77 years old.
For more than five decades, King has reigned as the undisputed master of horror fiction, terrifying readers with his spine-chilling tales of supernatural dread and psychological terror.
With over 70 published books to his name, including iconic works like ‘Carrie,’ ‘The Shining,’ ‘It,’ and ‘Misery,’ the 77-year-old author has built a literary empire that has spawned countless film and television adaptations, cementing his status as one of the most successful writers in history.
Throughout his remarkable career, King has shown no signs of slowing down.
Even in his late seventies, he maintains an impressive output, having published six books since 2021 alone.
Telling The Times he is currently writing up to 1,200 words a day, six or seven days a week, the prolific author continues to captivate audiences with his trademark blend of ‘dread and wonder,’ per MailOnline.
His latest projects demonstrate this ongoing creative vitality.
A new adaptation of his 1979 dystopian thriller The Long Walk is the latest to hit theaters, following a group of teenage boys competing in a deadly walking contest.
The film has already generated buzz after test screenings reportedly pushed viewers’ heart rates to over 200 beats per minute – levels considered hazardous outside of extreme exercise.
King’s influence extends far beyond the printed page.
This year alone, four film adaptations of his work are making their way to theaters: The Monkey, The Long Walk, The Life of Chuck, and The Running Man.
Meanwhile, his novel The Institute was recently transformed into an eight-part limited series for MGM+, following the terrifying story of children with psychic abilities being subjected to disturbing experiments.
However, in a recent candid interview with The Times, King revealed a deeply personal struggle that strikes at the very heart of his identity as a writer.
While discussing a story about the end of the world, he found himself searching for a specific word—one that describes the philosophical concept that we all contain the world within us, and that the world disappears when we do.
“There’s a word for that and I can’t remember what it is,” King admitted during the interview. “There’s a word for that and I can’t f****** remember what it is.”
This moment of forgetfulness triggered something far more profound than simple frustration.
It awakened King’s deepest fear – one that has haunted him since the death of British fantasy author Terry Pratchett in 2015.
Pratchett, beloved creator of the 41-novel Discworld series, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2007, The Daily Beast reports.
The disease, specifically posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a rare form of Alzheimer’s, gradually robbed Pratchett of his ability to write, forcing him to rely on technology and often leaving him to ‘fight for the right word.’
Per Cleveland Clinic: “Alzheimer’s disease is a brain condition that slowly damages your memory, thinking, learning and organizing skills. It’s the most common cause of dementia.”
Speaking with raw honesty about his anxieties, King referenced Pratchett’s tragic decline: “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of that happening to me and every time that I can’t remember a word or something, I think, ‘This is the start.’”
The fear of dementia represents perhaps the most terrifying prospect imaginable for a writer whose entire career has been built on the power of words.
For King, whose inventive brain has been his greatest asset for over half a century, the possibility of losing his cognitive abilities strikes at the very core of his being.
This devastating revelation has prompted King to contemplate the future of his writing career.
His next book, a retelling of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel set for release this month, may be his final published work.
When asked about his plans to continue writing, King’s response carried a note of finality: “I have at least one more book that I would like to write, and beyond that, man, I’m not going to say… I’d like to go out where people say, ‘I’d like another one.’”
