Editor Robert Legault died of a massive coronary sometime last week. He was living alone, and his friends and family became suspicious when he hadn’t responded to phone calls as promptly as was his habit. A missing person report was filed, and the police were able to enter his apartment, where they discovered his body. His sister Jeanne reports that he had a very fast coronary, and was probably gone before he hit the floor.
Editor Teresa Nielsen-Hayden says on her blog, Making Light, “Robert was my good friend. I’ve known him since I lived in Seattle. He was also my right hand when I was Managing Editor at Tor, and succeeded me in that position. He was kind and grumpy and generous and one of the world’s great nitpickers, and there’s no one I trusted more with a text.”
Hour of the Wolf host Jim Freund said “I knew Robert as an actor on Tony Daniels’ ‘Automatic Vaudeville’, which was a monthly segment on Hour of the Wolf, where Robert was also an occasional solo guest. He often did the door for the NYRSF Readings back in the days when they were at Dixon Place. (This, of course, reminds me that Jenna Felice was another major spirit of those events.) Dour and funny person. He’ll be sorely missed.”
Ellen Datlow has posted a photo tribute to Legault on Flickr at this link. Legault’s blog on LiveJournal is still available at readwrite.livejournal.com.
Edited 26 February to note that Making Light has details on a memorial service for Robert Legault:
A memorial service for Robert Legault will be held on Sunday, March 9, at the Beth Abraham Memorial Chapel, 199 Bleecker Street, between Sixth Avenue and Macdougal. The specific time remains to be announced; I’ll add it to this post once it’s known, probably after this coming weekend. The chapel’s phone number is 212-614-2300.
Robert’s sister Jeanne, who’s organizing the event, solicits ideas for appropriate charities for memorial donations, in view of Robert’s long involvement with science fiction and music. Suggestions should go directly to her at jeannelegault at aol dot com.
Edited 28 February:
The time of the memorial service has been set for 10:30AM. And Jeanne Legault has chosen The Jazz Foundation of America as an appropriate charity for donations in Robert’s memory.