Overview
- His representatives announced he died on Jan. 10 in a hospital in central Switzerland, with his daughter confirming the news to Swiss media.
- He rose to fame with the 1968 bestseller Chariots of the Gods, launching a series that sold roughly 60–70 million copies in more than 30 languages.
- Academics repeatedly rejected his ancient‑astronaut claims, and he received the first Ig Nobel prize for literature in 1991 for promoting questionable ideas.
- His career included legal and financial troubles, including a fraud conviction and prison time, and a 2003 themed attraction in Interlaken that later failed financially.
- His work influenced documentaries and popular TV shows and kept him a prominent figure in ufology; he is survived by his wife, Elisabeth Skaja, his daughter, Cornelia, and two grandchildren.