Robert Jordan, author of THE WHEEL OF TIME fantasy series has died after a long battle with a rare blood disease. I'd been reading his blog detailing his struggle for the past year or so. Still, his death comes as a shock. My condolences go out to his family.
Jordan's WOT series is an iconic achievement in the world of epic or high fantasy. Also, from reading his blog, he seemed like a really cool guy.
He will be missed.