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As some of you you may know, J. Gordon Holt has been of ill health of late, and according to his doctor he doesn't have a lot of time left. He has late stage COPD (emphysema), and is about to return from the nursing home to live out the rest of his days under hospice care at home with friends, family, and his beloved martinis.

Thank you very much for letting everyone know about this sad development, Charles. Please tell Gordon that he is in all of our thoughts.

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Many people know of JGH (my father) as "the crotchety curmudgeon" who founded Stereophile. He is definitely crotchety, and a curmudgeon, but he was also a great fan of what he considered real high-end audio: the ability to reproduce sound as accurately to the original as possible.

It is worth pointing people to Gordon's 45th-anniversary thoughts on the state of the audio business at www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/1107awsi, the 35th anniversary interview with him at www.stereophile.com/interviews/66, Ed Dell's 25th-anniversary appreciation of him at www.stereophile.com/historical/712 , as well as his motive for founding Stereophile at www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/711 .

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

I'm sorry to hear the news of JGH's health.

There was a recent article about who would be on the Mount Rushmore of audio, and JGH's name was the first mentioned and likely would be the most universally endorsed.

Crap. Life is too damn short.

Make sure he has a decent small system for his room!

My own father was a committed curmudgeon and he passed away from complications of emphysema as I sat by his bedside. He smoked three packs of unfiltered Camels a day for over thirty years and continued to smoke a pipe after being diagnosed. Being witness to your parent's last few days always has a lasting effect on your own life. Hospice is a welcome relief and they should be thanked for their contribution to a life well spent. You've brought back memories that linger with me through the years.

Thank you for posting. JGH was and is a real guy. Stereophile hasn't been the same without him.

The next few months will be very difficult for you and your family. My thoughts are with you.

My sincere best wishes for JGH and his family and friends. I learned a lot from his writing and really appreciated his ability to unravel complicated topics and communicate them in a fun and easily understood way.

I propose a toast for the man and the great legacy he has wrought. A Bombay Gin martini in his honor and some music on the hi-fi.

J. Gordon Holt is certainly a pioneer and one of the founding fathers of high-end audio. I hope he realizes how truly important and influential he has been to the hobby and the industry. I'm sure the thoughts of many, many audio lover around the world are with him.

JGH made me realize that listening to music and not reading spec sheets was the key to audio happiness. I can't begin to thank him enough for all the musical pleasure he is directly responsible for me experiencing.