The Life And Death Of Author Anne Rice

With the hippie revolution exploding around her 1960s San Francisco, Anne Rice was largely out of step with the youth culture. Although she had respect for outsiders, the peace, love, and drugs movement left Rice cold. "I would have defended those people to outsiders to the death," Anne told Katherine Ramsland, author of "Prism of the Night," "but inside, I thought it was a crock. I was totally out of water with those people, all of them ... I didn't click. I was out of step, inhibited, uptight."

By 1966, Anne's husband Stan had earned a master's degree and took a teaching position at San Francisco State University. Anne pursued graduate studies at San Francisco State, and on September 21, 1966, gave birth to a daughter. The Rices named the child Michele. Nicknamed "Mouse," Michele grew to be a beautiful, precocious child.

As Stan Rice's career bloomed, Anne continued her academic pursuits and tentatively began writing. Sadly, life was about to deal her a devastating blow. In 1970, 4-year-old Michele began complaining of an illness. She was feverish and too tired to play. Instinctively feeling that her daughter was seriously ill, Anne took Michele to the doctor, who diagnosed the child with acute granulocytic leukemia. Despite numerous hospital stays and rounds of chemotherapy, Michele died on August 3, 1972. With the death of their beloved child, the Rices descended into depression. Drinking heavily, they withdrew from life, blaming themselves for Michele's disease and death.

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