I received a note this evening from JEH's wife, who advised that he passed away back on 20 March, due to another stroke.  I'll pass along an obit link and such as soon as I have any further information.

He will be missed

Another Titan of the Gaming World lost to the passage of time...

I had heard rumors around the time but no one could say if it was "the" John E. Holmes. Thanks for tracking this down, Gro.

Mike B.

Very sad news.

For any who are interested, here's a bibliography of his fiction/gaming writings:
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewt ... 33&start=0

The Basic set he so skillfully edited was my first D&D set, which years later sparked my interest in creating this bibliography as I felt his contribution to the early years of D&D was underappreciated. I would have liked for him to joined us on-line in the various D&D forums to see the recent renewed interest in his Basic set, and so we could show our appreciation of his efforts in making D&D more accessible.

From the "About the Editor" section of the Basic D&D rulebook: "he is a devoted DUNGEONS & DRAGONS player whose background as a writer eminently qualifies him to prepare a work such as this one".

grodog wrote:I received a note this evening from JEH's wife, who advised that he passed away back on 20 March, due to another stroke.  I'll pass along an obit link and such as soon as I have any further information.

He will be missed

Could you also find out whether they've mentioned donations in his name to a particular charity or organization?

It was the acquisition of a copy of his basic rules that started me on my path to OD&D, after spending years with AD&D. The seed idea for The Gray Book (my homage to E.G.G. in my signature) was a what if regarding the basic rules of his.

An unsung pioneer, and may his evolution to a higher plane of existence be peaceful.

The Holmes Basic Set of D&D was my first intro to the hobby.  It was also the first hobby item I ever bought.  After the box gave out, I had the cover mounted in a picture frame in my bedroom for another decade.

Condolences to the Holmes family, and rest in peace J. Eric Holmes.

Thanks for posting the link to the memorial, and to the author of the nice article. Just a tiny glimpse at a very interesting person.