RIP Sir Patrick Moore.

[iBlueBox]

RIP Sir Patrick Moore.

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245405/BREAKING-NEWS-Astronomer-Sir-Patrick-Moore-dies-aged-89.html

BREAKING NEWS: Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore dies aged 89

- Broadcaster 'passed away peacefully' at his home in West Sussex


British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore has died at his home at the age of 89, a group of his friends and staff said today.

The broadcaster 'passed away peacefully at 12.25pm this afternoon', at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, they said in a statement.

It added: 'After a short spell in hospital last week, it was determined that no further treatment would benefit him, and it was his wish to spend his last days in his own home, Farthings, where he today passed on, in the company of close friends and carers and his cat Ptolemy.'


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/12/09/article-2245405-166D4944000005DC-785_634x409.jpg
Sir Patrick Moore with one of his cats, Ptolemy, at home in Selsey, West Sussex, last year


Monocle-wearing Sir Patrick, who served with the RAF during the war, began presenting The Sky At Night in 1957.

He presented the BBC programme for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever.

He wrote dozens of books on astronomy and his research was used by the US and the Russians in their space programmes.

Sir Patrick, who celebrated the 55th anniversary of his programme, The Sky At Night, in April, had battled ill health in recent years.

The stargazer had become wheelchair-bound and unable to look through a telescope.

He died after failing to fight an infection.

The statement went on: 'Over the past few years, Patrick, an inspiration to generations of astronomers, fought his way back from many serious spells of illness and continued to work and write at a great rate, but this time his body was too weak to overcome the infection which set in, a few weeks ago.

'He was able to perform on his world record-holding TV Programme The Sky at Night right up until the most recent episode.

'His executors and close friends plan to fulfil his wishes for a quiet ceremony of interment, but a farewell event is planned for what would have been Patrick's 90th birthday in March 2013.'

Queen guitarist Brian May paid tribute to a 'dear friend and a kind of father figure to me'.

He said: 'Patrick will be mourned by the many to whom he was a caring uncle, and by all who loved the delightful wit and clarity of his writings, or enjoyed his fearlessly eccentric persona in public life.

'Patrick is irreplaceable. There will never be another Patrick Moore. But we were lucky enough to get one.'


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/12/09/article-2245405-12D76DB8000005DC-595_634x401.jpg
Patrick Moore, pictured, has died aged 89. He passed away peacefully at his home in West Sussex


Born in 1923, at the age of six he moved from the Middlesex village of Pinner to Sussex where he has lived ever since.

Between the ages of six and sixteen Patrick was mostly educated at home as he was prevented from attending school due to illness.

During this time he picked up his mother's copy of 'The Story of the Solar System' which sparked his lifelong passion.

Since then, he concentrated upon studies of the Moon. In 1959, the Russians used his charts to correlate the first Lunik 3 pictures of the far side of the Moon and he was involved in the lunar mapping before the NASA Apollo missions.

During the war he was a navigator in the RAF.

‘Reliable rumours’ of his derring-do included how as a Flight Lieutenant he once climbed over the dead bodies of his pilot and co-pilot to land his Lancaster bomber safely.

Then there is talk of a distinguished career in intelligence.

He confessed that he ‘fiddled’ his way into the RAF on the outbreak of war by lying about his age – he was 16 at the time, a year younger than the minimum for air crew volunteers with parental consent – and hiding a childhood heart problem.

Sadly eleven years ago, Sir Patrick woke up one morning to find himself crippled by a spinal injury that had troubled him since the war.

By last year, the right side of his body was largely immobile, and he required full-time care.

He said in an interview last year: 'I’m near the end of my life now.

'It doesn’t worry me. I don’t think it ends here, you see. If it did, the entire thing would be pointless, but the universe is not pointless. No, this isn’t the end. We go on to the next stage. I shall be interested to see what it is.'

'Who knows? It might be somewhere I can learn to bat decently.'

Celebrating his 88th birthday, he said: 'I can’t use my dear old typewriter on which all my books have been written. I can’t play the piano. I can’t play the xylophone.

'Still, I’d rather be as I am, with a mind that’s still there. I’ve had nearly 90 years so I can’t complain. I’ve had my run.'

Speaking at the time he said, 'I shan’t have a funeral', and continued: ‘They can take my bits and use them for experiments and chuck the rest away. In my will I’ve left a sum of money to have a party when I’ve gone.'

A few extras; I used to watch him when I was younger and indeed, his television programme was still running from his home due to his illness in recent years. I also know politically he was a good man, being a patron for UKIP and campaigning to have us out of the European Union in recent years. Lastly and on a nice note, it's known that he never married or got with anybody else after the war - because his love, Lily I think she was known by, died during the war thanks to a bombing by the Germans.

So it's nice to know that after all these years, they're reunited.

A legend and very sad news to wake up to today, RIP Sir Patrick Moore.

Edit: They've just updated the story via the link I posted for more on his life if anybody wishes to read.

[Martin]

aww how sad :( I used to watch the sky at night!


RIP!

[Lee]

RIP, what happens to the programme is he replaced or will they cancel it hmm.

[peteyt]

not good :(

[HOSKO02]

What a legend, monocle and all, so sad to hear of his departure but such hopes for the future, someone like Brian Cox will surely be apt to replace him on the long-running show (that's if they choose to retain the format, after all, the show was essentially him) - I vote Brian Cox, youthful and an inspiration to the next generation of stargazers, Brian May's game too but a little less qualified, too old too.