Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humorist, satirist, and author of comical fantasy novels. He is best known for his Discworld series of 41 novels. Pratchett's published his first novel, The Carpet People, in 1971. The Colour of Magic, the first novel in the Discworld series, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two new books every year. Pratchett sold more than 85 million books worldwide, and his works have been translated into over 37 languages, making him the best-selling UK author of the 1990s. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009. He also won numerous other accolades and awards such as Carnegie Medal and World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. In December 2007, Pratchett was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Pratchett died 12 March 2015 at the age of 66.