Kim Peek, Mega-Savant, dies.

Kim Peek, the internationally renowned mega-savant, has died of a heart attack. He was only 58.

Though he had a massive heart attack on Saturday morning, his death was not announced until today.

Now, I was rather surprised by his death - not because 58 year olds don't die - but because our lives had crossed, peripherally and so he seemed, therefore, so much more alive than he otherwise would have been.

Kim Peek appeared in the ITV show Superhuman Genius, along with my son, Ainan. Now, the two never met, their filming being in different continents, but they did appear in the same show. That fact gave me an awareness of Kim Peek, his life and his particular special qualities beyond that of the casual reader.

It is a far from gentle reminder of the fragility and unpredictabilty of life that Kim Peek should die the year following the TV show.

Kim Peek was primarily known for his phenomenally retentive memory and, by the end of his life, he had mastered fifteen areas, including history, geography, music, sports and literature. Though highly gifted in some ways, he was disabled in others, having poor motor skills, being unable to dress himself and having been born with a separation of both sides of his brain.

He was most famed for being the inspiration behind "Rain Man" - yet I think the real life Kim was far more interesting than the fictional character he inspired.

The world has lost a unique individual, who overcame great personal difficulties, to live a life that touched many people. He made a habit of travelling the world, to talk to large audiences and show them his gifts. In doing so, he helped change people's attitudes towards the disabled.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

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