Terry Southern, a screenwriter and novelist who gained fame with his 1960s classic screenplays Dr. Strangelove and Easy Rider, collapsed on campus Oct. 25 and died four days later in St. Luke's. The cause of death was respiratory failure. He was 71 and lived in East Canaan, Conn.

Southern was an adjunct professor in the School of the Arts' film school and a faculty member in the School of General Studies.

"Terry Southern was one of the greatest satirical writers of our time," said Dean Robert Fitzpatrick of the School of the Arts. "He taught at Columbia for many years. He was a truly independent voice and imaginative spirit and a generous mentor to young writers."

Southern was co-author, with Stanley Kubrick and Peter George, of Dr. Strangelove (1964) and, with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, of Easy Rider (1969), for which he received two Academy Award nominations.

Both films are considered to have captured the mindset of the decade and influenced the arrival of the 1960s counterculture.

Southern's other screenplays include: The Loved One (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Barbarella (1968).

As a novelist, Southern also found success and controversy.

His books include: Candy which he co-wrote with Mason Hoffenberg and published in the United States in 1964; Red-Dirt Marijuana and Other Tastes (1967); Flash and Filigree (1958); The Magic Christian (1959); Blue Movie (1970), and Texas Summer (1992).

His latest book, Virgin, the history of Virgin Records, is scheduled to be published this month.

Southern was born in Alvarado, Tex. He attended Southern Methodist University and the University of Chicago and in 1948 received a B.A. from Northwestern.

From 1948 to 1950 he studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. From 1943 to 1945, he served in the Army.

Southern is survived by a son, Nile, of Boulder, Colo., and his companion, Gail Gerber.

Columbia University Record -- November 17, 1995 -- Vol. 21, No. 10