Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy died of a heart attack at age 49:
As soon as the news began to spread that author Douglas Adams had died Friday from a sudden heart attack at age 49, tributes to the science fiction humorist began to blossom all across the Internet. There has always been a strong correlation between computer geekdom and science fiction, so it’s not that big of a surprise that the author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” would be remembered fondly online. But Adams was more than just a science fiction satirist — he was also passionate about technology in the here and now, a geek’s geek who was paying close attention to current developments even as he focused his fiction as far ahead as the end of the universe.
(Thanks to Bren for the story).