Fife author Iain Banks has died following a battle with gall bladder cancer.
The Wasp Factory writer from North Queensferry announced in April that he had been diagnosed with the disease and had just months to live.
His publisher was quoted saying he was “an irreplaceable part of the literary world”.
Following his diagnosis Banks withdrew from all planned public engagements and married his long-term partner Adele.
He announced in a statement on April 3 that his latest novel, The Quarry, would be his last.
A website set up for friends, family and fans to leave messages for him was inundated with tributes to the writer who also published under the name Iain M Banks for his science fiction titles.
Fellow sci-fi author Ken McLeod paid tribute to Banks.
He told the BBC news channel: “I think he has left us a very significant body of work, both in mainstream literature and science fiction and he’s also left a large gap in the Scottish literary scene as well as the wider English-speaking world.”
