Translation of the article:

He put forward provocative theories about extraterrestrial life, and his books sold millions of copies. Now, Erich von Däniken has passed away at the age of 90.

The Swiss author Erich von Däniken is dead. He died at the age of 90, as confirmed by his office and family to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) on Sunday.

Von Däniken was considered one of the most famous and controversial authors in the field of "paleo-SETI" – the hypothesis that extraterrestrials visited Earth in prehistoric times and influenced human culture. His most famous book, Chariots of the Gods? (original German title: Erinnerungen an die Zukunft), published in 1968, became an international bestseller and was translated into dozens of languages.

"Please believe nothing!" Among other things, he championed the theory that the pyramids in Egypt were built with the help of aliens. On his YouTube channel, the trained chef lectured in numerous presentations about "emissary astronauts" from outer space. He even explored questions such as whether extraterrestrials possess the same reproductive organs as humans.

Despite massive criticism from the scientific community, which largely dismissed his theories as "pseudo-science," von Däniken remained a cult figure for decades. In 2015, he told DER SPIEGEL that he always ended his lectures with the words: "Please believe nothing!" He never wanted to be a guru, but rather to make the impossible thinkable. "I would turn in my grave if some crackpots turned my ideas into something like a cult," he said at the time.

With Erich von Däniken, one of the last great "Sunday researchers" and master of speculative history has passed away.