Erich von Däniken, the Swiss writer whose books popularized theories that ancient civilizations were visited by extraterrestrials, died at 90, according to his representatives. Von Däniken’s representatives announced on his website that he died the previous day in a hospital in central Switzerland.
Von Däniken rose to prominence in 1968 with the publication of his first book, “Chariots of the Gods,” in which he claimed that the Mayans and ancient Egyptians were visited by alien astronauts and instructed in advanced technology that allowed them to build giant pyramids. The book helped fuel a growing interest in unexplained phenomena at a time when conventional science was preparing for major milestones in space exploration.
“Chariots of the Gods” was followed by more than two dozen similar books, according to the AP account, creating a literary niche that critics said mixed fact and fantasy against historical and scientific evidence. While von Däniken often shrugged off those criticisms, the AP said he remained a polarizing figure for decades.
Public broadcaster SRF reported that altogether almost 70 million copies of his books were sold in more than 30 languages, making him one of the most widely read Swiss authors. The AP described his fame as accompanied by a difficult relationship with money, with repeated close calls with financial ruin.
Born in 1935, the AP said von Däniken was the son of a clothing manufacturer in Schaffhausen, in northern Switzerland. It was said that he rebelled against his father’s strict Catholicism and the priests who instructed him at boarding school by developing alternatives to the biblical account of the origins of life.
After leaving school in 1954, von Däniken worked as a waiter and barkeeper for several years, the AP reported. During that period, he was repeatedly accused of fraud and served short stints in prison, and in 1964 he was appointed manager of a hotel in the exclusive resort town of Davos, where he began writing his first book.
The AP said the publication of “Chariots of the Gods” and its rapid commercial success were followed by accusations of tax dodging and financial impropriety, and that von Däniken again spent time behind bars. After leaving prison, the AP reported that “Chariots of the Gods” was earning him a fortune and that “Gods from Outer Space” was ready for publication.
During the 1970s, the AP said he undertook countless field trips to Egypt, India and, above all, Latin America, and lectured widely about his theories. It said he also set up societies devoted to promoting his ideas and later pioneered the use of video and multimedia to reach larger audiences.
In 1991, the AP said, von Däniken became the first recipient of the “Ig Nobel” prize for literature, described as an award for raising public awareness of science through questionable experiments or claims. The AP also said that even when confronted with fabricated evidence in a British television documentary, von Däniken insisted that his theories were essentially sound aside from “minor discrepancies.”
In 1985, the AP reported, von Däniken wrote “Neue Erinnerungen an die Zukunft” — “New Memories of the Future” — ostensibly to address critics. It quoted him as saying: “I have admitted (my mistakes), but not one of the foundations of my theories has yet been brought down.”
The AP said von Däniken’s books and films influenced a wave of semi-serious archaeological documentaries and popular television, including “The X-Files,” which featured two FBI agents tasked with solving paranormal mysteries. His last major venture, a theme park based on his books called “Mystery Park,” failed after just a few years due to lack of interest, though it still stands near Interlaken with its man-made pyramids and otherworldly domes.
Von Däniken was survived by his wife of 65 years, Elisabeth Skaja, Cornelia, and two grandchildren.