Very Sad News from MARCON

[kevin_standlee]

[Note that my previous two entries were composed retroactively, after I'd heard the news below, but I wanted to try and preserve their tone without coloring them with the following bad news. I did not log in earlier because internet access is $9.99/24 hours and I was being a little cheap.]

While Lisa and I were hanging around the pre-con reception, we were informed by several people of some terrible news. Somewhat later, convention chair Dale Mazzola made an official announcement: Robert Asprin, Author Special Guest of MARCON, was found dead a few hours ago. Reportedly he suffered a massive heart attack.

As some of you know, I was the founder and for more than five years was President of the MythAdventures Fan Club. While I'd actually only met Bob a few times, I was really looking forward to seeing him again for the first time in many years. This is a very sad day.

Beyond the immediate tragedy, I find myself thinking like a conrunner about this: Author Guest of Honor Jody Lynn Nye (Bob's collaborator) and Editor Special Guest Bill Fawcett (Bob's business manager and close friend) will also not be attending on account of Bob's death this afternoon. My sympathies to them and to everyone else who was close to Bob, but my sympathies also to the MARCON committee, who will have to cope with having a major guest die the day before the convention and the resultant disruption.

And here I was mildly grousing pre-con that Bob and I weren't scheduled for any panels together. It shows how petty my concerns can be sometimes.

Edit, Friday 15:55: Fixed spelling error. Even when I ran the club, I was prone to the name error.

Comments

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

I just saw this at Tom Smith's LiveJournal. I'm so sorry to hear it.

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

OK, that it explains the time lag.
Very Sorry to hear about the loss. Big Harold was also a Big Fan of Bob's. Having met him at a lot of Mid West and East Coast cons, and also enjoying filking.
As he put it "Now Bob will Never finish the Dark Horde Survival and Training Manual."
Bob will be missed.

[solarbird]

Ouch. Brutal.

Annoyingly, I was also going right to the conrunner view. Disaster! And yet that's probably horrible, but it's hard to say because I'm kind of fucked up right now. But please relay my condolences specifically to the concom, because OH FUCK NO and all that.

[howeird]

My sincere condolences - if there's a book please sign my name. I loved his work! I suspect he would have donated many a quarter to the party jar had he ever attended a BASFA meeting.

[bindyree.livejournal.com]

Damn.

Just.... Damn.


Brin (aka the former Ms. Mythfit)

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

My deepest condolences to you about the loss of your friend. I don't quite know how to draw this to the anime fandom world. Losing three of your major guests the day before convention is quite sad and disruptive. In anime fandom, the blogs would be rolling and people complaining about it after the con. I guess he could be a ghost of honor, but that wouldn't do it justice.

[renegade500.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with you on all counts. Really sad for Aspirin's family and friends (and legions of fans), but also as a con runner, wow, you gotta feel for the MarCon committee too!

I haven't read the Myth Adventures books, but when I was a teenager, I loved the Thieves' World books.

[unclekage.livejournal.com]

I admit, the first thing that went through my mind was "Oh, crap, the con committee is probably going insane." It made me feel quite guilty to be thinking by extension of myself and how much of a tizzy I would be in if one of my guests of honor were to pass away the night before opening ceremonies.

[richardthe23rd.livejournal.com]

While running conventions I've had Guests of Honor cancel at the last minute due to ill health. But this is a different order of magnitude of bad.

[shulamuth.livejournal.com]

Not that I saw him much of late, but damn, I miss Bob.

I remember John Brunner dying during Intersection; not the GOH but someone people had really hoped to see.

Marcon is (or at least to be back in the dark ages when I lived in the mid-west and we road our dinosaurs to conventions) a big filking con, which means at least they have some of their memorial activities programmed in. My mind is playing a constant sound-track of 30 year old filks right now.

Oh, and I had the same reaction Big Harold did. Not that I ever thought the Survival Manual was going to be actually finished, really, but one could always hope.

Robert's passing

[starshinedogs.livejournal.com]

I was sad to hear of Roberts passing, I have read both his Myth and his Phule's company series. And enjoyed them immensely I can certainly understand his partners bowing out after this. All of them will be missed, it is sad that this year we have lost some truly great authors. Hope to see you at Marcon, if you see a young brunette on a motorized cart come say hi.