Sad news from the Robert Benchley Society:

With sadness the Robert Benchley Society notes the passing, at age 65, of Peter Benchley, author of the novel Jaws (1974) The Deep (1976), Beast (1991), and White Shark (1994). He is survived by his wife, Wendy.

Peter Benchley was the son of writer Nathaniel Goddard Benchley, grandson of humorist, theatre critic, and actor Robert Benchley, and brother of actor Nat Benchley.

We send our condolences to the family of Peter Benchley.

Here's a list of Benchley's publications and a little more about his career.

Update: Here's the Times Online story:

Mr Benchley later expressed regret for portraying sharks as creatures that target human beings. Thanks to the book and Spielberg’s film, which remains one of the ten highest-grossing movies after being adjusted for inflation, millions of beachgoers thought twice before venturing into the ocean.

I was pretty young when the movie came out, but I saw the TV trailer and that was it—no swimming in the small lake near our house for the rest of the summer. Sure, there were mostly carp in there, and algae, but one couldn't take any chances. Now I know sharks are lovely creatures (most of the time), and freshwater Wisconsin sharks are fairly rare. R.I.P., P.B.

Update: Here's my pal Morgan at Watershed on shark attack rules, courtesy of the best shark B-movies.