"It will be a secular, simple funeral and there will be no speeches," said Clarke's aide Nalaka Gunawardena. Clarke who died at the age of 90 on Wednesday had left written instructions that no religious rites of any faith should be associated with his funeral. He will be buried at Colombo's general cemetery in a plot owned by his friend and diving company partner with whom the writer lived for decades, Gunawardena said.

Fred Clarke, his brother, had arrived in the island to participate in the funeral, the aide added. The visionary author won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future. The 1968 story 2001: A Space Odyssey- written simultaneously as a novel and screenplay with director Stanley Kubrick - was a frightening prophecy of artificial intelligence run amok. Born in Minehead, England, on Dec. 16, 1917, the son of a farmer, Clarke was also credited with the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before they became a reality.

Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke listed three wishes on his 90th birthday: for the world to embrace cleaner energy resources, for a lasting peace in his adopted home, Sri Lanka, and for evidence of extraterrestrial beings.

"I have always believed that we are not alone in this universe," Clarke said in a speech to a small gathering of scientists, astronauts and government officials Sunday in Colombo where he lives. Humans are waiting until extraterrestrial beings "call us or give us a sign," he said. "We have no way of guessing when this might happen. I hope sooner rather than later."

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"Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," Clarke said. "I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these I would like to be remembered as a writer."