Robert Jordan (actually, James Rigney, Jr.), author of one of my favorite series of fiction books, the Wheel of Time series, passed away Sunday from complications from cardiac amyloidosis.
I heard about it through the grapevine. Jordan’s Wikipedia entry has been updated to show him as recently deceased, and details are reportedly posted to his blog at Dragonmount.com, which seems to be slashdotted at the moment.
Sadly, the final book in the series, A Memory of Light, scheduled for release in 2009, is reported to not have been completed. (The groan you may have heard Sunday evening, was not only one of sympathy for Jordan’s family, but was also the collective reaction of some fans who have been waiting nearly two decades for some loose ends in the series to be wrapped up.) Apparently, as his health failed, Jordan left notes on how to finish the book with those closest to him, although there’s no decision yet as to whether the book will actually be completed.
