Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) Dies at 58
(October 17, 1948–September 16, 2007)-(RealName)JamesOiverRigneyJr--photoJeanneCollins2Nov2005-SanDiego.jpg)
Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) died Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 2:45 p.m. from complications from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy cardiac amyloidosis. He was 58.
A two-tour veteran of the Vietnam war (1968-1970, DFC with cluster, Bronze Star with V and bronze cluster, and Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm), Jordan returned from the war and earned a degree in physics from The Citadel, following which he served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer.
In 1977 he began writing science fiction and fantasy, which would come to define his public identity. Literally thousands of web sites and millions of readers are devoted to his work.
Jordan, the most popular fantasy writer since J.R.R. Tolkien, is known best for his twelve volume The Wheel of Time series, eleven of which have been published.
Of the final volume:
WikipediaJordan is survived by his wife, Harriet McDougal who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books.)
On October 18, 2005, at a book signing in West Chester, PA, Jordan gave the working title of the 12th book as A Memory of Light. As one of the attendees told Dragonmount.com, Jordan also warned that the final volume of the saga "could be a 1500-page monster" because he has so many dangling plot threads to wrap up in a single volume. He maintained that A Memory of Light would remain one volume "whether it is 1500 pages long, Tor has to invent a new binding system, or it comes with its own library cart". Due to his health problems, Jordan did not work at full force on the final installment, but blog entries confirmed that he continued work on it until his death, and he shared all of the significant plot details with his family not long before he died.
He will be missed.
The following from around the internet:
- Robert Jordan Official Blog (may not be reachable due to traffic)
- Memorial notice posted by his cousin
- Robert Jordan Memorial Forum
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