His death after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer sparked an immediate outpouring of tributes as world leaders, business rivals and fans alike lamented the tragedy of his premature passing and celebrated his monumental achievements.

One of the most inspirational persons I’ve ever read about. If you have not read or seen it before, here’s a transcript and here’s a video of Steve Jobs’ famous 2005 Stanford commencement speech.  

I heard on the radio today that upon the news of Steve’s passing Time magazine stopped their print run in order to update the edition with the news.

Top 10 Apple moments

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011: Mourning Technology’s Great Reinventor
“But with astonishing regularity, Jobs did something that few people accomplish even once: he reinvented entire industries. He was the most celebrated, successful business executive of his generation, yet he flouted many basic tenets of business wisdom.”

Hmmmm. Don’t really have much to say, a bit of a bummer update.

Did the Boven weekend, arrived Friday mid morning and had a lovely day. Was pretty useless on Saturday, but the highlight was definitely “Little Bonsai” (16). A really nice climb of about 25m. Dinner was fabulous: Fillet with ostrich wors and braai samies. Later that night another group borrowed our fire to make espetada’s, and insisted I have a taste – divine!! Apart from some other secret herbs & spices, they stuck the meat on bay leaf sticks and threw bay leaves on the fire to further flavour the meat. Quite a treat, I must say.

But then Sunday turned out a disaster. While making breakfast, news came in of an accident close to the campsite. From Climb.co.za:
“Heinrich Kahl passed away this Sunday at Waterval Boven. He was 27.

Heinrich was well known as a top level sport climber (competed in a couple of Roc & Road’s) and was fast becoming one of SA’s hardest trad climbers.

He and his wife Carlien prepared to climb All’s Bells (19 trad) at Tranquilitas. At the base of the climb was a refrigerator sized boulder which one has to scramble up on to get onto the climb; as Heinrich mantled onto the boulder it came lose and toppled over on top of him. Heinrich sustained serious internal injuries and died on the scene. Carlien broke her hand and got bruised badly but is otherwise okay.”

News24 article here.

Did not know him personally, but did chat to him once or twice. Good guy, very easy to get along with and had a lekker conversation with him.

No more climbing for me that day.

Farewell…

Anyways, here’s some evidence of rather large footprints left by someone living life like it should be lived:

“An expert climber and creator of the world’s first bungee jump between cooling towers, at Orlando, Soweto, has been killed in a fall on Table Mountain and his hiking partner injured.” From IOL

Orlando Towers site, with  a statement

Comments and tributes on climb.co.za – worth a read, among other this one from his wife: “Thank you so much everyone for the huge outpouring of sympathy and well wishes. It was a privilege to be married to such a crazy mother fucker. I miss him so much and don’t know how I will get through life without him. RIP love of my life. xx”

Celebrations / Memorials
“There is going to be a celebration of the life of Bob Woods this Thursday 15 April. We are asking anyone who has been touched by Bob to join us to share memories ,have a braai and send him off with a skop in the Du Toits kloof mountains that he loved.”

“I believe there will also be a memorial at the Orlando Towers bungee site in Soweto/JHB on Thursday 22 April so those who can’t get down to the Cape can also celebrate the life of Bob Woods.”

Full details here

This from the Daily Mail (August 14th):

“Guitarist and instrument innovator Les Paul has died at the age of 94, it was announced today.

The U.S. musician died at a New York hospital as a result of complications from pneumonia, the Gibson Guitar company said.

As a pioneer of the instrument he influenced the course of jazz and rock music with the development of his solid body electric guitar and other technical innovations.

Family and friends were at the bedside of the musician when he died at White Plains Hospital.

Born in  Wisconsin in 1915, Paul’s first musical forays were with the harmonica and banjo before he turned to guitar. Dissatisfied with the acoustic guitars of the time, he began experimenting with electric models. In 1941 he invented ‘The Log’ – a four-by-four solid piece of wood strung with steel strings. ‘I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody thought I was a nut,’ he recalled on early outings with the electric model.

In 1952, Gibson Guitars began to produce the Les Paul guitar. The model firmly established itself in rock and jazz history, ensuring that Les Paul’s name will continue long after his death. The Who’s Pete Townshend, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and jazz guitarist Al Di Meola are among the guitar greats who use Les Paul as their model of choice.

Aside from technical inventions that also included innovations in the field of multi-track recording and overdubbing, Paul had a successful career as an instrumentalist. With his wife Mary Ford on vocals, Paul had a string of hits in the late 1940s and 1950s, gaining 11 number ones in the U.S., including versions of How High The Moon, Nola and Lover.

In 1978, Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. His success as a recording artist lasted well into his old age. In February 2006, while in hospital, he learned that he had won two Grammys for Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played, an album he released after his 90th birthday.”

In the company of legends:

Paul (right) with Chet Atkins (left) and Dolly Parton and Freddie Fender at the Grammy Awards back in the '70s