Coast to Coast AM is mourning the loss of Erich von Däniken, a true pioneer who dared to ask, "Was God an astronaut?" Von Däniken passed away in a Swiss hospital on January 10 at the age of 90. A frequent and beloved guest on our airwaves for decades, he ignited a global conversation that redefined how millions look at the cosmos and our ancient past.
Since the 1968 debut of his book Chariots of the Gods?, von Däniken remained a steadfast champion of the ancient astronaut hypothesis. He was never one to shy away from his critics. In 1985, he published New Memories of the Future to address skeptics head-on, famously noting that while he was humble enough to admit to specific mistakes, he remained certain that the foundations of his theories were unshakable. His work was so culturally pervasive that it even earned him the first Ig Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991, a nod to his unique ability to captivate the public imagination.
His influence reached far beyond the printed page, shaping shows like The X-Files and Ancient Aliens. Von Däniken's vision was perhaps most visible in his theme park in Interlaken, Switzerland. Though the park eventually closed as a commercial venture, it remains a poetic monument to human curiosity—a cluster of otherworldly domes and pyramids standing against the grandeur of the Swiss Alps. Erich's dreams were always as large as the mountains themselves.
Von Däniken is survived by Elisabeth Skaja, his devoted wife of 65 years, their daughter Cornelia, and two grandchildren. As we look to the night sky tonight, we remember a man who taught us that the truth is often far more wondrous than we were ever told.