BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhuanet) -- American author and screenwriter Richard Matheson, best known as the author of classic sci-fi stories such as The Shrinking Man, died at 87, the Writers Guild of America said on Monday.

Born in Allendale, New Jersey, in 1926 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Matheson worked primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres.

His 1954 horror novel I Am Legend was considered a landmark work in the genre, ushering in zombies and apocalyptic themes to post-World War Two America.

In 1956, Matheson wrote The Shrinking Man, which was turned into the classic sci-fi film The Incredible Shrinking Man -- his debut as a feature screenwriter.

Matheson's work often has been adapted for the screen: Somewhere in Time, What Dreams May Come and Stir of Echoes have all been movies, but his sci-fi vampire novel I Am Legend was the basis for three different adaptations: 1964's The Last Man on Earth, the 1971 Charlton Heston movie Omega Man and the 2007 Will Smith movie, I Am Legend.