Lincoln Lewis has led the tributes to beloved Australian author John Marsden after his death.
Marsden, known for his best-selling Tomorrow book series, died at his home at the age of 74, according to a letter from Alice Miller School – which the author founded.
The school’s statement told how Marsden ‘died at his desk in his home, doing what he loved, writing’, The Guardian reported.
No cause of death has yet been given but tributes have been flooding in for the esteemed author following the sad news of his passing.
Home and Away star Lewis, 37, led the charge as he took to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday to share some heartfelt words dedicated to Marsden.
He wrote: ‘RIP John Marsden. Tomorrow, When The War Began has been in schools all across the country for many, many years and his books have been loved by so many.
‘Thanks for bringing us such incredible adventures mate.’
Lewis is known for his role as Kevin Holmes in the 2010 film adaptation of the first novel in Marsden’s popular adventure series, titled Tomorrow, When The War Began.
In another tribute post, Lewis went on to detail how much he loved the Tomorrow series himself as a teenager and told how surreal it was when he was cast in the film.
He penned: ‘I remember while reading, always imagining how it would look seeing it as a show or movie – not thinking in my wildest dreams that only several years after finishing high school, that I’d get to actually play one of his characters in the movie adaption!
‘A career honor that I still am lost for words thinking about!’
Lincoln went on to praise Marsden for being ‘polite’ and ‘a true gentlemen’ when he visited the set of the popular movie.
‘I remember John came for a set visit while we were filming in Fox Studios towards the end of production,’ he continued.
‘Very few times in my life have I been as star struck as when I shook his hand. Lost count how many times I told him that his books were the only thing I willingly read in high school.
‘He was so polite, so graceful and just genuinely happy to be there.
‘Seeing his eyes and smile beaming after watching our scenes being filmed – getting to see his books brought to life is something I’ll never forget, both as an actor & a fan of the books.
‘He even wrote an email to Stuart Beattie – our director after his day on set saying how he had goosebumps watching every single take and went on to say how appreciative he was.
‘A true gentleman and someone who’s brought adventure to so many. Cheers JM.’
His co-star Andrew Ryan, who portrayed Chris Lang in the adventure movie, also shared a photograph of himself with Marsden alongside some sweet words.
‘Thanks for the good times mate, rest in peace,’ he wrote in an Instagram post.
Phoebe Tonkin, Caitlin Stasey, Ashleigh Cummings, Chris Pang and Rachel Hurd-Wood also made up the cast of Tomorrow, When The War Began.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to Marsden and told how his writing would ‘live long in the national memory’.
‘John Marsden wanted young Australians to read more and his writing made that happen,’ he wrote on X – formerly known as Twitter.
‘Vivid, funny, quintessentially Australian, he wrote with a real love for our land and a true sense of our people’s character.
‘His was a great Australian voice that spoke to all ages, here and around the world. John’s work will live long in our national memory.’
Australian author Alison Lester, known for her children’s picture books, praised the ‘legacy’ Marsden has left behind with his novels.
‘He would’ve got so many kids reading who would never have read otherwise, I think. Here was a whole world that they could believe in,’ she said.
‘Those books, they looked like they were going to change the world, they were such a force.
‘The kids [in the books] were so powerful… I think that was the most amazing thing.’
Marsden’s best-selling Tomorrow book series won several major awards for children’s and adult fiction – including the Lloyd O’Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing in 2006.
He created more than 40 books across multiple genres but made waves in the young adult category with Tomorrow, When the War Began.
The book followed a hypothetical war in which Australia was invaded and went on to inspire a movie and TV series.
He went on to write another six books in the series, which were praised by Marsden’s publisher, Pan Macmillan Australia, as ‘the best series for Australian teens of all time’.
Marsden was also well-known in the education community after serving as principal at two schools in regional Victoria.
In 2018, the author recalled his experiences founding and running Candlebark School, near Romsey, and Alice Miller in Macedon.
‘Running a school is probably the most intense and complicated job I’ve had in my life,’ he told the ABC.
‘The only thing I can compare it to is when I worked in the emergency department at Sydney Hospital when I was about 19.
‘It’s very important that young people get their hands dirty, both literally and metaphorically … There’s a lot of laughter. There’s a lot of joking. There are a lot of serious conversations, too.’
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