Jaws author Benchley dies

Peter Benchley, whose story Jaws terrorised millions of readers and cinemagoers, has died aged 65.

The author, whose thrillers The Deep and The Island were also made into movies, died at home in Princeton, New Jersey, of complications from pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive scarring of the lungs.

His wife of 41 years, Wendy, and family were at his bedside. Benchley's condition was diagnosed last year and his health had been deteriorating, but his death now was unexpected, said son-in-law Chris Turner. "It was peaceful," he added.

Although Benchley and Jaws director Steven Spielberg did more to encourage fear of sharks than anyone else, the writer became a passionate advocate for the species. His widow said: "Peter kept telling people the book was fiction, it was a novel, and he no more took responsibility for the fear of sharks than Mario Puzo took responsibility for the Mafia."

Benchley, son of author Nathaniel Benchley, was born in New York in 1940. He went to Harvard, worked at Newsweek and the Washington Post, and spent two years as a speechwriter for President Lyndon B Johnson.

His interest in sharks began with childhood visits to Nantucket, Massachusetts, and grew in the mid-Sixties when he read about a fisherman catching a 4,550lb great white off Long Island. "I thought to myself, 'What would happen if one of those came around and wouldn't go away?'" he recalled. By the time the book came out in 1974, it had earned more than $1million including $575,000 for the paperback rights, sales to books clubs and film rights. It sold more than 20 million copies. The film, in which Benchley had a cameo as a reporter, was the first to make more than $100 million and spawned a series of sequels.

Benchley served on the US council of environmental defence, hosted TV wildlife programmes and gave speeches around the world. His widow said: "He cared very much about sharks. He spent most of his life trying to explain to people that if you are in the ocean, you're in the shark's territory, so it behoves you to take precautions."

Benchley is also survived by three children and five grandchildren. A family service takes place next week in Princeton.