The body of Arthur C. Clarke, pioneering science fiction writer and
visionary, is brought to his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka. British-born Clarke,
whose death was announced on Wednesday (March 19) was best known for his novel
"2001: A Space Odyssey". He was 90. 

SHOWS: (BN12) COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (MARCH 19, 2008) (REUTERS) -The body of British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke,
whose death in Sri Lanka was announced by his secretary early on Wednesday
(March 19), was transferred to his home in Colombo.
    Clarke, who was 90, died of respiratory complications and heart failure
that doctors linked to the post-polio syndrome that had kept him
wheelchair-bound for years. 
    Marking his "90th orbit of the sun" in December last year,
the prolific British-born author and theorist made three birthday wishes: For
E.T. to call, for man to kick his oil habit and for peace in Sri Lanka. 
    Clarke wrote around 100 books and hundreds of short stories and
articles, and wanted to be remembered foremost as a writer. 
    Clarke was born in England on December 16, 1917, and served as a radar
specialist in the Royal Air Force during World War Two. 
    He settled in the city of Galle in Sri Lanka.
    His adopted family members paid their respects beside Clarke's coffin
on Wednesday.
    Hector Ekanayake, friend and business partner of Clarke for 60 years
described how he had first met the writer. 
    "He had a diving company called Clarke International Associates. 
I met him on the beach when I was there diving and since I liked so much of
diving and I asked him whether I can come and work for them.  He said OK but
said no pay," said Ekanayake.  
    Sri Lankan opposition leader Ranil Wickremsinghe said that Sri Lankans
would remember Clarke with fondness for putting his country "on the
map".
    "He is today a world famous figure. Him living in Sri Lanka,
writing about Sri Lanka and proudly proclaiming that his home was in Sri Lanka
was a great strength to all of us. I can say one thing - the most famous Sri
Lankan in the world is Arthur C. Clarke," said Wickremsinghe. 
    Trained as a scientist, Clarke was renowned for basing his work on
scientific fact and theory rather than pure fiction and for keeping humanity
at the heart of his technological visions. 
    In 1964, Clarke started to work with the film maker Stanley Kubrick on
the script of a groundbreaking film which was to win audiences and accolades
far wider than those of most previous science fiction -- "2001: A Space
Odyssey". 
    Based loosely on a short story he had written in 1948, it dealt
poetically with themes of human evolution, technology and consciousness and
came to be regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made. 
    He was one of the first to suggest the use of satellites orbiting the
earth for communications, and in the 1940s forecast that man would reach the
moon by the year 2000 -- an idea experts at first dismissed as rubbish. 
    When Neil Armstrong landed in 1969, the United States said Clarke
"provided the essential intellectual drive that led us to the moon".