Sad News: John Nash dies at 86

Perhaps the saddest news this week are the deaths of famous mathematician John Nash, 86, and wife Alicia, 82 in a car accident last Saturday, May 23. Nash was known for his work in Economics (Game Theory) particularly on the Nash equilibrium as well as his contributions real algebraic geometry.  He received the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994, a Double Helix Medal in 2010, and an Abel Prize this year.

image via Wikipedia

The life of John Nash, particularly his battle with paranoid schizophrenia, was detailed in Sylvia Nasar’s A Beautiful Mind which was later made into a  Hollywood film where Nash was portrayed by Russell Crowe.

Many people expressed their grief on Nash’s death through Twitter and other social media sites. His death is truly a big loss to the mathematics community.