Death of Christopher Hitchens

[Eric8-A]

I just found out about his death. Turns out it had to do with his cancer. He died at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the age of 62. Given that we have a fellow forum member here who's name is taken from this man, I felt it appropriate to post.

What were your views on the man?

 

[craig1985]

RIP Christopher Hitchens

The man behind The Hitch's username:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16212418

 

[Eric8-A]

It appears we sort of posted a similar thread almost simultaneously.

 

[daveinzambia]

Sad day. Great writer, great intellect, will be very sadly missed in my household.

 

[Havetts]

A sad sad day.. I have seldom cried for people I haven't seen or spoken, but I couldnt stop myself.

 

[Spare Tyre]

Christopher Hitchens and I parted ways somewhat in the last decade, but I am very saddened to hear of his death and to know that his writing has come to an end.

 

[Eric8-A]

I've only started reading his work and seeing his debates and found him to be an interesting person. Sucks that he left.

 

[ramjambunath]

Sad loss, a true intellect but his views on Iraq and some other latter views pushed me away from his works.

 

[The Hitch]

Thanks for the kind comments.

They say the quick death is better than the slow one, but to be honest, the announcement that he had the most deadly form of cancer, one and a half years ago, helped me come to terms with it. I stopped watching his videos whereas before I would check every day for new ones to surface.
Maybe its the reason I started spending so much time here.

Had this happened 1 or 2 years ago, it would have been a more painful for me.

 

[thirteen]

RIP
10 characters

 

[boomcie]

My sympathy for those affected by his death. In particular The Hitch and apparently Havetts as well.

 

[Eric8-A]

Even though I've only just discovered his work, I now see him as an inspiration due to the fact that I too am studying to be a journalist.

 

[hektoren]

Whether we're aware of it or not, we're all affected by his untimely death. Hitchens was in the league of Habermas and others; one of the most influential intellectuals of our time, and his "take" on things was always thought-provoking and a most welcome addition to our PC politicians.

 

[hektoren]

Tons of good material here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...topher_hitchens_his_greatest_slate_hits_.html

 

[Tank Engine]

Controversial, thought provoking, infuriating, inspiring. Just what an intellectual and journalist should be. He will be missed.

 

[hatcher]

Rip Hitch.

 

[Spare Tyre]

A couple of tweets that caught my eye:

SalmanRushdie
Goodbye, my beloved friend. A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops. Christopher Hitchens, April 13, 1949-December 15, 2011.

Stephen Fry
Goodbye, Christopher Hitchens. You were envied, feared, adored, reviled and loved. Never ignored. Never bested. A great and marvellous man.

Catherine Deveny
I, for one, do NOT hope Christopher #Hitchens rests in peace, but in passion, as he lived.

Peter Bradshaw
I knew Christopher Hitchens a bit in the 90s. As a writer, he was a Jimi Hendrix in an industry full of session rhythm guitarists

 

[craig1985]

Catherine Deveny's finest moments:

"Anzac Day. Men only enlisted to fight for the money, for the adventure or because they were racist." and "An Australian Flag in your front yard tells everyone you're only a couple of Bundy and Cokes away from lynching a wog, slope or Arab."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Deveny

 

[Spare Tyre]

Catherine Deveny's finest moments:

"Anzac Day. Men only enlisted to fight for the money, for the adventure or because they were racist." and "An Australian Flag in your front yard tells everyone you're only a couple of Bundy and Cokes away from lynching a wog, slope or Arab."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Deveny

I know. She's liked and loathed. I have verrrry mixed feelings about her stuff, but I liked her take on Hitchens' passion.

 

[woodenswan]

A couple of tweets that caught my eye:

SalmanRushdie
Goodbye, my beloved friend. A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops. Christopher Hitchens, April 13, 1949-December 15, 2011.

Stephen Fry
Goodbye, Christopher Hitchens. You were envied, feared, adored, reviled and loved. Never ignored. Never bested. A great and marvellous man.

Catherine Deveny
I, for one, do NOT hope Christopher #Hitchens rests in peace, but in passion, as he lived.

Peter Bradshaw
I knew Christopher Hitchens a bit in the 90s. As a writer, he was a Jimi Hendrix in an industry full of session rhythm guitarists

also:
rickygervais
RIP Christopher Hitchens The most honest and outspoken, bull****-free thinker of our time. A brave man and a hero of mine.

and some infuriating (laughable? to each their own) discussion going on there. the man provokes heated debates even in his death. rip

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

The man behind The Hitch's username:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16212418

thanks for that. The video of his interview with the BBC shows a remarkable attitude he had through his struggles. As he put it... a kind of hope for others who struggle on like he did.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

RIP. He gave a good go at cancer as always.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Thanks for the kind comments.

They say the quick death is better than the slow one, but to be honest, the announcement that he had the most deadly form of cancer, one and a half years ago, helped me come to terms with it. I stopped watching his videos whereas before I would check every day for new ones to surface.
Maybe its the reason I started spending so much time here.

Had this happened 1 or 2 years ago, it would have been a more painful for me.

So very sorry Hitch.
Sad passing...I was glued to his VF writings for years. Excellent.

And you were one of the first forum members I noticed vis a vis your name....
Hitch has found his peace.

 

[hfer07]

Very saddened by his passing-For me he was an inspiration & mostly an eye opener to many questions I had & I still continue to seek on religion & how we are affected by it nowadays. an unique character with such voraciously intelligence with this notion to question everything & challenge all establishments-not for the sake of it-but to unveil & dissect the very core of the matter.

 

[blutto]

...while it is sad when anyone leaves this mortal coil following such an ugly illness and especially someone with such an obvious touch with words, I cannot say I will miss his work or the thing that informed that work...

...he was drunken pompous buffoon in love with the sound of his own prose...a real shame because he could have actually amounted to something quite good...being such a good writer he could always entertain with the beauty of the words he wrote and because that was enough for most of his fans he was never taken to task for the shallowness of his analysis...

...an entry from another forum on this topic kinda echoes my sentiments ...

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"Pre-lunch canisters of scotch were followed by a couple of glasses of wine during the meal and a similar quantity of post-meal cognac. That was just his intake."

I guess that would explain why he was as obnoxious and full of himself as he was.

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Cheers

blutto