Acclaimed author and neurologist Oliver Sacks, known for his books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Musicophilia, has died from melanoma in his eye which had spread to his liver.
The London-born author died in his Manhattan home, which was confirmed by his longtime personal assistant, Kate Edgar.
The acclaimed scientist was celebrated for his case histories, in which he documented unusual neurological disorders. In 1973 he wrote his memoirs, Awakenings, which was made into the 1990 film of the same name, starring Robin Williams.
In February of this year, Sacks wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times in which he revealed that he was in the late stages of terminal cancer. He wrote, “A month ago, I felt that I was in good health, even robust health. At 81, I still swim a mile a day. But my luck has run out – a few weeks ago I learned that I have multiple metastases in the liver.”
Some famous fans have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to Sacks.
https://twitter.com/Carrie_Rachel/status/637967731833200642
I am deeply saddened to hear Oliver Sacks passed away. He was a gift to the world. http://t.co/ZJeo8zyRGB
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) August 31, 2015
A beautiful final tweet from Oliver Sacks https://t.co/8CtWyb2Mee
— Mia Farrow ?️? ???? (@MiaFarrow) August 30, 2015
RIP Oliver Sacks, a huge source of inspiration, and pleasure MT: Neurologist… Dies at 82, via @nytimes http://t.co/tZTkz8ASa7
— Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) August 31, 2015
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