Artists lost

Robert Jordan, Joe Zawinul, and Luciano Pavarotti all died in the space of a few weeks; Ingmar Bergman and Robert Altman not that long ago, either. Why do these things seem to happen in clumps?

....

From Dragonmount:

It is with great sadness that I tell you that the Dragon is gone. RJ left us today at 2:45 PM. He fought a valiant fight against this most horrid disease. In the end, he left peacefully and in no pain. In the years he had fought this, he taught me much about living and about facing death. He never waivered [sic] in his faith, nor questioned our God’s timing.

The writings of James Oliver Rigney Jr, also known as Robert Jordan (1948-2007), had a major impact on my reading habits and interests in life. I first discovered The Wheel of Time series in my high school years, and I was quickly taken up by Jordan's epic pastiche — a genteel blend of adventure and imagination, one part pulp fantasy, two parts heady realpolitik. The series' massive tomes inspired me to imagine, and played a formative role in my interest in history, politics, and writing. To cast The Wheel of Time aside as a Lord of The Rings Nouveau, as its critics often do, is to sell the series far short of what it is: an epic, complex, sweeping set of works that covers so much intellectual, emotional, and thematic ground (and pages... 11 volumes!) that labeling it mere 'fantasy' would be, for want of a better term, an injustice.

To the critics' credit, Jordan's writing is often overlong, rife with fantasy clichés, heavy on complicated political plots, and, depending on one's blood-alcohol level, wonderfully pomp.

And yet, like a Wagnerian opera, it succeeds. From Jordan's New York Times obit:

Known for its epic sweep, intricate plotting and large cast of complex characters, the series centers on Rand al’Thor, a humble messianic figure who must stave off the forces of evil that threaten to overtake the faraway land in which he lives. Along the way, there are perils and portents, fair maidens, fantastical deeds and the like.

In an essay in The New York Times Book Review in 1996, Edward Rothstein wrote, “Even a reader with literary pretensions can be swept up in Mr. Jordan’s narrative of magic, prophecy and battle.”

The “Wheel of Time” books have often been compared to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien in terms of their ability to exert a magnetic hold on readers. Translated into more than 20 languages, the books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, according to Mr. Rigney’s publisher.

Sadly, Jordan died before he could finish the series' twelfth and final volume. His unique, southern voice will be missed.