Sir Terry Pratchett has died of Alzheimer's Disease · 8:30pm Mar 12th, 2015
This was, unfortunately, simply not the way it was supposed to happen. Alzheimer's Disease was supposed to die of Pratchett.
I have been reading his books since I was... perhaps 15 or 16. He taught me about people, and brightened my cynicism enough to let me see things clearly. He has easily been as big an influence on me as anything else I have ever read or watched.
Dementia and neurodegeneration are truly, properly frightening: it's one thing for a disease to attack and destroy the body, but neurodegenerative diseases attack the brain, and through it, the heart and soul. Pratchett was lucky enough to sustain very little cognitive embuggerance: he only had to cancel one convention appearance in 2014, and he died as himself, knowing who he is and where he was. He was lucky.
He always taught me to look straight at reality and see what is there. First Sight, Second Thoughts. Right now, my First Sight tells me that one of the greatest authors of the century has just died, and all my recursive layers of thoughts can express nothing but sadness and outrage.
"In a hundred years we'll all be dead, but here and now, we are alive."
All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany's Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into the sheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things, because they are mine! I have a duty!
I hate this. I hate that "he died as himself" is the best that can be hoped for. I hate that dying in any way at the age of 66 can be considered lucky.
2870910 Good. That's the appropriate response. I'm just trying to hold back the tears.
Alzheimer's may yet die of Pratchett, even if it's a delayed response; his legacy continues to exist. It is indeed sad, though, that it is now only his legacy and not the man himself...
The cause of death is officially a chest infection.