So strange. I hadn't thought of Mr. Rigney since the last blog then, as I was dropping off a dear friend at the airport yesterday, he mentioned buying a magazine for the flight. I said "Hey, I think I've got a couple of fantasy novels in the trunk. Want one?" I always have two there, whatever I'm reading at the gym and TEotW (it lives in my trunk since I keep lending it to people at the gym). So, my worn old copy of TEotW headed off to Oregon and I drove off thinking how much I dreaded the day the background of Dragonmount would turn black. I guess that would have been an hour or so after he passed.

Miss Harriet, Wilson, I can't tell you how much Mr. Rigney's writing meant to me. The first time I read through the beginning of the series, I thought how much I would like to have lunch with him as he was clearly such an intelligent, thoughtful, and immensely well-read man. You and your family are in my prayers. May God guide you and keep you and surround you with His presence in this time of pain.

My deepest sympathies to the Rigney family. And thank you, to Robert Jordan, for all you have given us. You will be remembered. May you shelter in the palm of the Creator’s hand and may the Mother’s last embrace welcome you home. Rest in peace.

He'll be remembered, as his books will be.

RIP RJ

This is truly a sad time. A great man has fallen, but will never be forgotten.

I will celebrate his life each time I read his books.

Robert Jordan shows what it means to be a writer. He is the best of his time and his work will live on until the ages are long past and still they will remain myth. I send my love to his family and friends who know him best.

A fan forever- Lauren, South Bay CA, USA

May your soul be at peace and my your family find strength in each other and the memories they have of you.

Your words inspired so many and forced us to use our greatest gift...our imaginations.

Sleep well...

It hurts. It hurts real bad.

Robert Jordan truly had the power to change lives. He made you think, and gave you strength and inspiration, all through his stories. Made you look for things beyond the horizon. I remember first reading him all those years past, not even understanding much of it in English back then. Since then The Wheel of Time has simply become part of my life. I feel like a close friend has passed, though I haven't even met him, such was his presence. I wish strength and courage to Harriet and Wilson and the rest of his family and friends. May the last embrace of the mother welcome him home, and may the Light shine on us all. He will be missed so much, the world so much emptier. Rauha hänelle, ja voimia ja rohkeutta perheelleen. Kiitos.

Harri

My deepest regrets and sadness go out to RJ's family......When a writer can ethrall his audience the way RJ did and captivate us with a world we found ourselves wishing to be a part of, he will absolutely be missed. I think I'll miss most the fact that there will be no gleeful blog posting on how he tied everything together and the joy that would have been expressed in showing us how the Wheel truey turns......Rj we will miss you....No one is comparable in the past nor the future.....

i have been wounded

my heart empties

tears come unbidden

lost is the seeker

the world has been broken!

is the song lost or did robert find it and in that peace wake from the dream and await our own awakening?

thank you robert you brought joy where there was pain,

hope where there was loss.

though you you have gone im sure right now you see that all you did was never in vain many who post here today have shown that you touched them when they were weakest. and with that one touch pulled them up from thier fall and gave them hope. you have done something rare and beautyfull you created where there was none and grew what could become.

harriet my condolences in your grief and my thanks for the love you have given RJ for i am sure without you he wouldnt have fought so hard.

morgothia mistwalker

PJD

in grief and saddness may you find hope and joy.

My deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to family, loved ones and dear friends of RJ...he truly taught us that the wheel will continue to turn as we look for him in a new world...

My deepest condelences to all of Robert Jordan's family and friends. May you find strength in each other.

May you step into the Light, Robert Jordan.

My heartfelt apologies to the grieving family of James Rigney. He will live on in the hearts of us, WoT fans, along with the characters that made us smile, made us cry, made us shiver in excitement. And it is more than that. Not only has he given me the joys of wonderful books, it is thanks to him that I met the one I love and many others I am proud to call friends. Thank you, Robert Jordan, it is a wonder of the world that one man can touch so many, and if there were Ta'veren in this world, you were one.

Lannes Gaidin

Dear Mrs. Rigney and Wilson,

I have never met or saw James: 'Robert' as I thought of him. I probably would not have recognized him if he had knocked on the door or walked into my office. Yet, I have invited him into my house many times and spent many hours with him. He and his books are old friends and will be sorely missed. His Conan novels and his southern gothics were fun to read. The wheel of time series was more than fun to read. I have read some of the novels many times; each time I learn something new about myself or others.

For me, three things stood out. First, his sense of fun. Humor and fun ran through a series which could have been bleak and black. If you doubt me, go read S. M. Stirling’s series on the Draka. Second, I felt like the people were real and growing with the series.

Third, over the last year or more, I have followed his illness. I do not believe how brave he was. I'm sure in the dark of the night or at other lonely times, he feared and doubted. Yet, he met his trial with bravery and style. I have a degenerative eye problem; while my problem will never kill me, it gives me some insite into how he may have felt.

In addition, I am of the generation that served in Viet Nam. It does not matter if I was there or not. He was. For this I honor him. It is men like him, and others I know and knew, who placed, and still for some place, their young tender bodies in harm's way to serve this country of ours that help to make it great.

Mrs. Rigney and Wilson, if ther is anything a professor of engineering can do for you or James, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address I've provided. If you are near the Seattle, Washington area, please feel free to contact me. I would love to meet either of you and offer you the hospitality of my home and city: Olympia 50 miles south of Seattle.

Rest in peace Jim. I for one will miss you and your books. You more than the books.

Vince

I am so crushed. I have been reading fantasy novels since the 1970's. For a while there was great stuff out there but then things kind of got stale and the genre became dominated by RPG type novels with little background and depth. I bought my first copy of WoT and read it almost by accident. I read that book in less than 36 hrs (including sleep time). I simply could not put it down. It was like a flash of lighting in a deep dark night.

Thank you RJ for refreshing and renewing my love of fantasy. Your battle against amyloidosis was remarkable. My prayers go to your family and friends. You will be missed but thanks to your amazing books and works NEVER forgotten.

Gil

Goodbye to a legend.I found out only today. He will be sorely missed. Another author that makes me enjoy thinking is gone. The literary world has lost a giant and will be all the more poorer for it. Rest in Peace . Continue on in Light.

My Love and Prayers go out to not only his core family but the extended family of readers that have come to care for him as well as his characters.

Camille

I wish to extend my condolences to the Rigney family. Mr. Jordan will be missed for his contributions to the world of literature. Thank you for the many years of memories that have been given to all of his fans reading the "Wheel of Time" books.

"The last embrace of the Mother welcome you home."

Rest in Peace Warrior. Your fight is done, but others will pick up your sword and continue. My condolences to the family. Your loss is felt around the world.

You will be sorely missed, by your wife, family and the many of us who loved your work. Go with the light Mr. Rigney

Mary G.

My deepest condolances.

May he rest in peace.

Tis sad when a life so loved, is lost.

My heartfelt condolences and encouragement to the entire Rigby family.

When I read of RJ's death, I felt as though I had suddenly lost a close friend. I thought It odd to think that I felt such a loss for someone whom I've never spoken to or seen, but then I began to think of what the Wheel of Time has meant to my life. It has been a staple of my childhood, youth, and now young adulthood, and has entertained me even when I wasn't reading it through countless discussions with the many many fans I've met. So it is really not so surprising that I should feel this as a personal loss, but I do not believe in mourning someone's death.

A person's death should always be a chance to celebrate their life. RJ was loved and respected by many people worldwide & his life has changed many those people even in some small way for the better. We should all be so lucky. I'm very grateful for what he's done for me & my friends, and will continue to try and spread his works to as many people as I can get it to.

So here's hoping that RJ will be remembered not only for the world he created, but also for the world of people he inspired.

Thank you so very much,

Alex

My condolences to the Rigney family, and to everyone else who feels the loss of the strong and incredible person of Robert Jordan.

His writing and his spirit has brought all of us great joy and happiness throughout the years, and let us celebrate how much better we all are for having known him in our own individual ways.

And always remember..."There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of time."

Lyle

My condolences to Harriet, Wilson, and all those close to RJ. You will all be in my prayers. Requiem in pacem James Rigney. Thank you for sharing your beautiful imagination with the world. You will be missed.

"If you wish it, I will sing to the apple trees..."

-Loial

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend...

It seems such along time ago, a 16 year old junior in high school was looking through the bookstore, looking for something long to really get engrossed in. The Eye of the World was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with a man I never would speak to or meet.

Seventeen years have passed and my respect for RJ has only grown continually. RJ the man, earned my respect even more then RJ the author. A true inspiration.

My thoughts and my prayers go out to Harriet and all his close family. You had the priviledge of knowing a wonderful man, we've all been blessed to have shared this road he has taken us on.

Tonight, I spoke to a high school friend that I hadn't spoken to in ~4 years. The reason why I called? Robert Jordan's passing.

I had to call my friend because he introduced me to the WOT series 16 years ago. Of all of the events in life, from birth of my children to his marriage and divorce, my friend and I have spoken about many things over the years. In all of the discussions, the WOT time series has long been an intense topic. Being avid readers, he and I quickly latched onto the WOT series for the scope, breadth, character development, and sheer 'wow that was cool!' reaction to the story. As soon as I saw the note of his passing on the Internet, I had to call my friend. I had to let him know because I know how involved he was in the story.

For my part, I quit reading the series several years ago for the simple reason that it was torture to read the books and not be able to finish the story. Of course, I kept buying the books when they came out, and in hardcover of course. I very much kept up on the series from the 'what was coming next' to checking blogs and looking for rumors of story lines and book releases. I only pass this along because I wanted to share the impact of the story. I am a simple man, wife, kids, and job. However, Mr. Jordan had the special talent to get me out of the real world and into Rand's world for just a little bit. For that, I am forever grateful.

To go back to my friend, he and I spoke for the first time in years, and the primary topic of discussion was Mr. Jordan's passing and the effect the series has had. The WOT of time is one of the greatest stories ever written. Robert, my friend and I thank you for taking us along for the ride with Rand and the rest of the crew. May you rest in peace.

The Rigney family, please accept my sincere condolences. He will be missed by all. Please take comfort in Robert’s gift to the rest of the world, and our gratitude for that gift.

Trent J

Indianapolis, IN