Robert Bloch, 77, the prolific author whose...

Robert Bloch, 77, the prolific author whose novel "Psycho" became the classic Alfred Hitchcock horror film, died of cancer Friday in Los Angeles. Using straightforward prose, he described everyday worlds that turned out to be anything but. He sold his first story at 17 and found outlets for his work in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and '40s. He wrote more than 400 stories, more than 20 novels and dozens of film and TV scripts.