Jack Chalker died earlier this month. He had something of a reputation on the con circuit, and I haven't read one of his novels in years, but he was something else in his prime. I used to devour his novels as soon as they appeared on the shelves in the local bookstores. They got me through some fairly grim and lonesome years when I was a kid. I can't say I'm surprised that he died - he wasn't exactly the healthiest of individuals, even back in the days when I still went to SF conventions - but it's still a bit of a shock.