The internet woke up to the unfortunate news of Christopher Tolkien’s demise, son of illustrious author J.R.R Tolkien, on Wednesday. The death of the 95-year-old Oxford scholar was announced on Twitter via the Tolkien Society—of which he was the literary executor. Here are five unmissable facts of the deceased academic.
1) He was pronounced dead on January 15, 2020: Best known as a powerhouse of talent who completed his dad’s unfinished works; Tolkien was an Oxford linguistic like his dad. He died in France and is survived by his second wife Baillie Tolkien, sister Priscilla and his three children, Simon, Rachel, and Adam. Born on November 21, 1924, it is learned that Tolkien had become a French citizen later on in his life, and settled in the Southeast region of France.
2) The Lord of Rings Is Worth Beyond One’s Imagination: Needless to say, “The Lord of Rings” set the bar for literature world over. Tolkien expressed his desire to protect the integrity of his father’s coveted work as it began to witness mammoth success. As per a popular report, the commercial enterprise grew out of the 1969 sale of the cinema rights and derivative products for Bilboa the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to the Hollywood studio, United Artists, added up to 100,000 pounds sterling. Yes you read that right.
3) Amazon takes over “The Lord of Rings”: Not too long ago; Amazon expressed its plan on releasing a prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring. A media outlet dropped major hints that the Prime Series was slated to become “the most expensive TV show ever” costing more than $1 billion. Amazon acquired the right from the Tolkien Estate for $250 million.
4) Tolkien ascended the throne of the estate: Tolkien took charge of his father's estate upon the iconic author’s death in 1973. Soon after, he took over as the literary executor of the Tolkien Estate. As executor, his work largely revolved around compiling and editing his father’s unpublished works, including the collection, The History of Middle Earth. Tolkien also owned the creative rights of the senior Tolkien’s literary works. Aside from owning the Tolkien Estate; Christopher and his wife, Baillie also own the copyrights for the literary texts. The couple, however, sold the film and merchandise rights of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” to Saul Zaentz, a film producer.
5) Was fondly remembered as “Middle-earth’s cartographer: Here’s a fun fact—Some of Tolkien’s sketches made it as many of the maps of Middle-earth which appear in the Lord of the Rings books. His maps earned him the title of “Middle-earth’s cartographer and first scholar”.
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