Christopher Tolkien Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Christopher Tolkien, son of The Lord of the Rings author J. R. R. Tolkien, died Wednesday at the age of 95.

The Tolkien Society, an educational charity and literary society devoted to the study and promotion of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, announced the death of the Oxford scholar and academic who was the literary executor of the Tolkien Estate on Twitter. He was responsible for publishing many of J. R. R. Tolkien’s works including The Silmarillion (1977) and The Fall of Gondolin (2018).

Here’s everything you need to know:

1. Christopher Tolkien Died January 15, 2020, in France

According to the New York Times, Christopher Tolkien died Wednesday, January 15, 2020, in France. He became a French citizen in the latter part of his life and lived in the foothills of the Alps in the southeastern part of France.

He is survived by his second wife, Baillie Tolkien, his sister Priscilla and his three children, Simon, Adam and Rachel. His brother-in-law, Daniel Klass, confirmed his death. Christopher was an Oxford linguist like his father.

2. Christopher Drew the Map for Middle -earth

Christopher Tolkien was born in Leeds, England, on November 21, 1924. As a young adult, he began working with his father, J. R. R. Tolkien, on his literary works. He was also known as “Middle-earth’s cartographer and first scholar,” Tolkien Scholar Dr. Dimitra Fimi told The Tolkien Society.

The Guardian reports that he drew many of the maps of Middle-earth that appear in the Lord of the Rings books. According to the New York Times, The British Library has the original map in its collection.

3. He Managed Tolkien Creative Rights

Upon J. R. R. Tolkien’s death in 1973, the younger Tolkien became the literary executor of the Tolkien Estate. As executor, he compiled and edited his father’s unpublished works, including the collection, The History of Middle-earth.

He was also responsible for managing the creative rights to the elder Tolkien’s literary works. According to Tolkien Gateway, the Tolkien Estate, owned by Christopher and his wife, Baillie, holds the copyright for the literary texts. The film and merchandise rights of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were sold by the family and eventually purchased by Saul Zaentz, a film producer and record executive.

4. The Lord of the Rings is Worth Billions

In 2012, Christopher gave his first-ever press interview to Le Monde. The article published July 5, 2012, described the younger Tolkien’s desire to protect the integrity of his father’s work as it grew into a massive commercial success, reported at the time to be worth several billion dollars.

The commercial enterprise grew out of the 1969 sale of the cinema rights and derivative products for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to the Hollywood studio United Artists for 100,000 pounds sterling, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

According to Vanity Fair, in 2004, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings became a major cinematic success with The Return of the King, the final release in The Lord of the Rings movie franchise. The film swept the Academy Awards, winning 11 Oscars. In 2001, The Fellowship of the Ring was released to great critical acclaim and received 13 Oscar nominations. The following year, The Two Towers received six nominations. ABC News reported at the time that The Return of the King won the same number of Oscars as Titanic.

5. Who Controls The Lord of the Rings Now?

Christopher Tolkien’s death comes as Amazon prepares to begin its 2020 production of The Lord of the Rings series. Radio Times reported that Amazon acquired the rights to The Lord of the Rings, making a multi-season commitment, confirming the second season of the Prime series before the first season had begun filming.

Cnet reported that Amazon intended to release a prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the Prime series was predicted to be “the most expensive TV show ever,” costing more than $1 billion. The rights were purchased by Amazon from the Tolkien Estate for $250 million, beating out Netflix.

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