Life
Aickman was born in London, England, the son of William Arthur Aickman and Mabel Violet Marsh. On his mother's side, Aickman was the grandson of the prolific Victorian novelist Richard Marsh (1857–1915), known for his occult thriller The Beetle (1897), a book as popular in its time as Bram Stoker's Dracula.
He originally received his training in architecture, the profession of his father. In the opening lines of his autobiographical work The Attempted Rescue (1966), Aickman described his father as "the oddest man I have ever known".
Aickman was married to Edith Ray Gregorson from 1941 to 1957.
With a keen interest in the theatre, ballet, and music, Aickman also served as a chairman of the London Opera Society and was active in the London Opera Club, the Ballet Minerva, and the Mikron Theatre Company in London.
Aickman died of cancer on 26 February 1981 after refusing to have conventional treatment. His obituary appeared in The Times on 28 February.
Read more about this topic: Robert Aickman
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