‘Game of Thrones’ author George R. R. Martin opens up about experiencing depression

Culture & Trends‘Game of Thrones’ author George R. R. Martin opens up about experiencing depression“The worst may be yet to come,” the 77-year-old author wrote in a blog post to his fans, adding that “getting old is no fun.” George R.R. Martin.Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 4, 2026, 1:28 PM EDTBy David K. LiGeorge R. R. Martin, author of the wildly popular “Game of Thrones” book series, shared that he’s pulled back from updating fans via his blog as he “battled sadness and depression.”“This year has been… stressful, to say the least,” Martin wrote in a blog post published this week, titled “Better Late Than Never,”. “So much has been happening, it’s been overwhelming. Some great things, exciting things. Dreams coming true. But there have been nightmares too. I have lost friends. Battled sadness and depression.”The entry marked Martin’s return to blogging since since Feb. 19. In his latest post, he thanked his “great staff of assistants,” who he said have worked tirelessly to keep him from “falling further and further behind.” In recent years, the fantasy author has been called out by readers who complain about the delayed publication of the sixth “Game of Thrones” book, “The Winds of Winter.” Martin addressed the criticism last year, writing in a May 2025 post that he “ought to get some other writer to pinch hit for me… I am going to die soon anyway, because I am so old. I lost all interest in A Song of Ice and Fire decades ago. I don’t give a s--- about writing any longer, I just sit around and spend my money.”In Monday’s post, Martin referenced his age again, writing, “The worst may be yet to come. I turned seventy-seven last September, and I tell you, getting old is no fun.”He told fans that the combination of age and depression could mean his “posts are likely to short and rushed” in the immediate future, adding that his “minions” may be helping him more.But 2026 hasn’t been all sadness for the author, he said. In his po...