R.I.P., John M. Ford
Author John M. "Mike" Ford died early this morning or late last night, at the age of 49. Elise Matthesen found his body. Cause of death as yet unknown; Making Light says: "[Elise] said it looked like it was fast and easy, whatever it was."
We did an Author Focus issue on Ford a few years back; my favorite piece of that was his epic poem "Troy: The Movie." He's better known for the Star Trek musical comedy novel How Much for Just the Planet?, among other works.
There's more about him at Making Light, where he was a regular and prolific commenter, often posting amazing, wise, erudite, funny poems (and occasional filks) that he seemed capable of writing at a moment's notice--and they scanned perfectly, and often rhymed. I didn't know him, but I loved his poetry. I'm said to see him go, and sad for those who knew and loved him.
Here are some links:
- Wikipedia has a bibliography, among other things.
- Will Shetterly introducing Ford, from a while back.
- Neil Gaiman this morning (mostly reprinting a long recent email from Ford).
- A photo of him from PNH's Flickr stream.
- Elise's post of their "Declaration" and "Response" on LJ.
And some of Ford's work, just to give you an idea of what he could do:
- 110 Stories, a remarkable 9/11 poem
- Harry of Five Points--"Shakespeare by Damon Runyon by John M. Ford"
- Cosmology: A User's Manual
- I am the King now, and I want a sandwich
For more, see the aforelinked Making Light entry.