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This is not a question, just very, very, very sad news. Our community has lost one of its most active members. I am posting a letter I received recently.

From Carel Faber and Sandra Di Rocco:

November 23, 2011

Dear colleagues from the Algebraic Geometry community,

Unfortunately, we have some very sad news:

Torsten Ekedahl has passed away.

Torsten collapsed this morning at the Stockholm University Mathematics Department and died shortly thereafter. Attempts of colleagues and ambulance personnel to resuscitate him were unfortunately unsuccessful.

The SU Mathematics Department and the mathematical communities in Stockholm and Sweden have suffered a great loss. All who knew Torsten personally or through his work know that he was an exceptional mathematician, in many different ways. Torsten's main interest was Algebraic Geometry, but his research and knowledge went far beyond our field.

Torsten Ekedahl will be sorely missed by many.

Carel Faber and Sandra Di Rocco

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closed as off topic by Ryan Budney, Suvrit, Anton Geraschenko Nov 27 '11 at 17:03

Questions on MathOverflow are expected to relate to research level mathematics within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

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    $\begingroup$ There is a thread on this very sad news on meta tea.mathoverflow.net/discussion/1218/… Still, since not everybody reads meta, under these special circumstances I think making an exception to the rule no meta content on main is very justified. $\endgroup$ – user9072 Nov 24 '11 at 16:53
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    $\begingroup$ I think MathOverflow is not a good place for an online memorial. If one is set up, however, I ask that a link to it be placed here and in the meta thread. Indeed, if I or some other member of MathOverflow is told about the URL, we can arrange to link to it from this post and the meta thread as well. Condolences. Gerhard Paseman, 2011.11.24 $\endgroup$ – Gerhard Paseman Nov 24 '11 at 18:00
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    $\begingroup$ Perhaps this could become a real question by dint of an edit requesting suitable experts to write a few lines describing Torsten Ekedahl's research achievements in a form, and with permissions, that could serve as a basis for an English-language Wikipedia article. (There exists already a brief Swedish-language article, but lacking any mathematical content.) $\endgroup$ – David Feldman Nov 24 '11 at 19:07
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    $\begingroup$ Whether the right place or not, in my opinion, Balazs was absolutely right to post this very sad news here in the forum, where Torsten has made so great contributions. $\endgroup$ – Ralph Nov 24 '11 at 19:56
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    $\begingroup$ The best way to deal with a loss like this is to rather celebrate the life, the person, and the math that connects him to countless strangers. But despite that, I still feel a strong recurrent hesitation to use MO an online memorial---less for the sake of MO, more out of respect, and for the modesty of silence that death occasions us to display. $\endgroup$ – Suvrit Nov 24 '11 at 22:22