Fantasy author Robert Jordan, whose Wheel of Time series captivated millions, has died of a rare blood disorder at the age of 58.

Jordan, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., died Sunday at a hospital in South Carolina from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, said his personal assistant, Maria Simons, on Monday.

The disease attacks the body's major organs and in the author's case, it triggered a thickening of his heart's walls.

Jordan released a statement in March 2006 about his disease and the four-year prognosis for his survival. He assured his fans he intended to beat the odds and would go on writing for another 30 years.

Born in 1948 in Charleston, S.C., Jordan would go on to do two tours of duty in Vietnam, winning a slew of medals including the Bronze Star. After achieving a degree in physics, he was employed by the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer.

Jordan began writing in the late 1970s. A trilogy of historical novels set in his hometown was published in the 1980s, under the pen name Reagan O'Neal. For some time during that decade, he was also the writer of several Conan the Barbarian stories.

Combination of talent and luck

Soon after, he turned toward fantasy and began the first volume of his Wheel of Time saga. The Eye of the World was published in 1990.

The series concerns Rand al'Thor and his destiny to become the champion who battles evil in a mythical land.

Book 11, Knife of Dreams, came out in 2005 and prior to that, a prequel, New Spring: The Novel in 2004. Most of the novels ended up on the New York Times bestseller list.

"You have to have talent to some extent — I certainly hope I have talent — but you have to have luck as well," Jordan said in a 2003 interview.

"Once you get that first shot, that will get you noticed for the rest of your books and that will give the rest of your books a better chance."

Jordan was working on a 12th volume, A Memory of Light, at the time of his death, Simons said. It would have completed the series.

Jordan said in 2005 that the final volume could run 1,500 pages because he had many plot threads to tie up. He had also expressed a desire to start another series set in a different world.

The series was so popular that fans were organizing a three-day Wheel of Time conference to be held in Atlanta next April. It's uncertain whether the convention is still on.

With files from the Associated Press