Chris Lightfoot 1978-2007
Chris Lightfoot died unexpectedly on 11th February 2007. He is sadly missed by family, friends and colleagues. The funeral was held at St. Bene't's Church, Cambridge, on 23rd February 2007. Donations, if wished, should be sent to www.no2id.net.
Comments
Posted by Dave Weeden, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:58 (link):
I had no idea. He seemed a top bloke. I'll miss him.
Posted by Robin Mayfield, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:17 (link):
A real surprise and a great shame. He will be missed. R.I.P. Chris.
Posted by Francis Irving, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:27 (link):
Tom, from mySociety, one of the places where Chris worked over the last two years, has posted about Chris, giving a good summary of his remarkable achievements in life.
Posted by Martin Keegan, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:52 (link):
The tribute from Phil Booth of NO2ID is here
Posted by Justin, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:54 (link):
Terrible news. Sympathies to Chris' family and friends.
Posted by Russ Garrett, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:55 (link):
Chris was a great guy, and a big inspiration behind a lot the work we did at last.fm. RIP Chris.
Posted by Richard George, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:25 (link):
A bigger loss than most of the people affected by it will ever appreciate, and all the more work for the rest of us to do.
With regards to donations, No2ID's donation button doesn't accept a "notes" field at the moment, but you can use other methods or, I believe, send from a paypal account directly to office@no2id.net
My condolences to all affected.
Posted by Chris Applegate, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:27 (link):
I'm totally shocked, that's awful news. My sympathies to his family and friends. Rest in peace.
Posted by Davide Simonetti, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:28 (link):
I'm very sad to hear this news. My sympathies for Chris' family and friends. Chris will be sorely missed by bloggers of all political persuasions. RIP.
Posted by Phil Rodgers, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:47 (link):
What a loss - Chris was a rare talent. My sympathy to family and friends.
Posted by Matt Freestone, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:56 (link):
I'm really sorry to hear this news. My sympathy to all his family and friends.
Posted by Tez Burke, Monday, 5 March 2007 14:25 (link):
Terrible news; we've lost a real battling campaigner who knew how to cut through the spin to find the truth, a fine blogger and a good bloke all round. Deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
Posted by Leo Davidson, Monday, 5 March 2007 14:36 (link):
Sad news. I did not know Chris well enough to do him any justice here but he seemed like a good bloke who was interested in helping other people, both from the few conversations I had with him and the impressive amount of useful, community-based work that he did. Very sorry to hear the news.
Posted by Paul Staines, Monday, 5 March 2007 14:56 (link):
No!
Posted by Will Spat, Monday, 5 March 2007 15:44 (link):
I never met Chris, but his work was known and appreciated by a group of us here in Vancouver, Canada. Our most sincere condolences to Chris's family. His work carries on.
Posted by Alex, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:06 (link):
Christ, this is awful. I had no idea.
Posted by dave heasman, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:21 (link):
This is horrible, shocking. So sorry.
Posted by Edd Southerden, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:33 (link):
Thanks for all the brilliant and inspiring posts and work chris. You were one my web favourites. You'll be missed. RIP Edd
Posted by Clive Summerfield, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:18 (link):
Dreadful news. My sympathies to his close friends and family at this time.
Posted by Tim Ireland, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:39 (link):
I can't tell you how sad this makes me. I hope at least that the heartfelt warmth, respect and gratitude expressed here and elsewhere brings some small level of comfort to his family and friends.
Posted by Neil Harding, Monday, 5 March 2007 19:09 (link):
Very sad and shocked to read this. Chris's fantastic knowledge changed my opinion on many issues. Best wishes to all concerned.
Posted by Andy Cooke, Monday, 5 March 2007 19:53 (link):
This is really sad news - this was one of the first blogs I ever read, and I've kept checking it semi-regularly for updates. He seemed a great bloke; it's a real loss.
Posted by Jason Kitcat, Monday, 5 March 2007 21:00 (link):
What shocking and tragic news this is. I only met Chris briefly a few times but I am in awe of his contributions to MySociety and others. I know he will be sorely missed by many. RIP.
Posted by Nosemonkey, Monday, 5 March 2007 21:17 (link):
Ditto all the above. His work will live on, that much is for certain - few people can have made such a positive impact in such a short space of time as he has done through his online efforts. A great loss for everyone in the UK, even if they were not even aware of his work. He will be missed by more people than he ever knew.
Posted by Gabriele Bartolini, Monday, 5 March 2007 21:58 (link):
My condolences to the family and friends. RIP. Gabriele
Posted by Rob..., Monday, 5 March 2007 21:58 (link):
I'm very sad to read this. My condolences to his family.
Regards,
Rob...
Posted by Harry Hutton, Monday, 5 March 2007 22:34 (link):
I was very sorry to hear this news.
Posted by Lorna Coupland, Monday, 5 March 2007 22:35 (link):
Oh, hell. Very sorry to hear this. Condolences to those who knew him in real life.
Posted by Chris Williams, Monday, 5 March 2007 22:50 (link):
Damn. I shall miss him. Given the quality of his ongoing contribution to the world, we're all going to miss him, even people who've never heard of him. He left the vivid air signed with his honor alright.
Posted by Paul Currion, Monday, 5 March 2007 23:54 (link):
I only met Chris once, but I knew him from his writing, and of course his sterling work for mysociety. I heard about his death through a third party, and immediately felt that it was a terrible loss. Requiescat In Pace, and I hope his family and friends are able to take some comfort in knowing that he made a difference.
Posted by Chris Tidy, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 00:17 (link):
I've sent a donation to no2id.net in memory of Chris. It's a sound cause and I encourage others to do likewise. Rest in peace, Chris. You'll be missed.
Best wishes,
Chris
Posted by Yemon Choi, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 00:59 (link):
Delurking for once to join everyone above in voicing my shock at this news, and in wishing Chris' friends and family my deepest condolences.
He was (can't believe I'm using the past tense) always a true individual, in the way that doesn't come from a pose but from a position, and will be greatly missed in these times.
Rest in peace, Chris.
Posted by Danny Yee, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 04:11 (link):
I only knew - and will miss - Chris as an entertaining blogger and an ardent privacy campaigner. My condolences to his family and friends and others to whom he was much more.
Posted by Aaron Heath, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 06:50 (link):
My condolences to Chris' family & friends.
Aaron
Posted by Steve Stollenwerk, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 08:22 (link):
Been in shock since last Thursday when one of Chris' friends responded to my email asking if he were okay because his lack of response to comms was out of character. Offered to help if hospital, etc., but the news was worse than seemed possible. Spent Friday saving off dozens of his pages, and references via Google to so many comments about his work and his own postings to other sites. They say "the good die young" but that is the most awful, unfair proposition that society faces. (My father says the rest of us live longer to get further chances to get good.)
So... How?!? Why?!? Okay, maybe it doesn't matter... but maybe it does. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but... why does the Times report this today when the funeral was on 23Feb, 10 days ago? I wanted to go, and I would have. I feel very sorry for his mother and sister... and all you friends and colleagues. I work with dozens of programmers but nobody is like Chris was. Damn.
Chris did various tasks for me over the last 15 months, when he could spare some time to do commercial things (which was rare!), and I appreciated, greatly, his integrity. He, in fact, curtailed some plans I suggested because of the questions about morality he had, especially privacy. I did respect that. How can you fault a guy for being spiritual... especially if heart-driven, not by training but by inclination? I learned not to.
Everyone at my workplace knows about Chris, and he has served, and will do in future, as a shining example of a very friendly "geek" (best connotations) who cared that what he was doing was both ethical and also accurate. He is serving as a role model for our business now.
But, of course, I'd rather he would just answer his phone and we could carry on. We had plans. He had plans, etc. And I didn't even know, because of his humility, how accomplished he already was in so many arenas.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit... as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. May all the souls of the faithful (spiritual) departed Rest In Peace. Amen.
Posted by Steve Stollenwerk, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 08:23 (link):
Been in shock since last Thursday when one of Chris' friends responded to my email asking if he were okay because his lack of response to comms was out of character. Offered to help if hospital, etc., but the news was worse than seemed possible. Spent Friday saving off dozens of his pages, and references via Google to so many comments about his work and his own postings to other sites. They say "the good die young" but that is the most awful, unfair proposition that society faces. (My father says the rest of us live longer to get further chances to get good.)
So... How?!? Why?!? Okay, maybe it doesn't matter... but maybe it does. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but... why does the Times report this today when the funeral was on 23Feb, 10 days ago? I wanted to go, and I would have. I feel very sorry for his mother and sister... and all you friends and colleagues. I work with dozens of programmers but nobody is like Chris was. Damn.
Chris did various tasks for me over the last 15 months, when he could spare some time to do commercial things (which was rare!), and I appreciated, greatly, his integrity. He, in fact, curtailed some plans I suggested because of the questions about morality he had, especially privacy. I did respect that. How can you fault a guy for being spiritual... especially if heart-driven, not by training but by inclination? I learned not to.
Everyone at my workplace knows about Chris, and he has served, and will do in future, as a shining example of a very friendly "geek" (best connotations) who cared that what he was doing was both ethical and also accurate. He is serving as a role model for our business now.
But, of course, I'd rather he would just answer his phone and we could carry on. We had plans. He had plans, etc. And I didn't even know, because of his humility, how accomplished he already was in so many arenas.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit... as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. May all the souls of the faithful (spiritual) departed Rest In Peace. Amen.
Posted by Spiros Denaxas, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 11:47 (link):
My condolences to his friends and above all, his family. RIP Chris. - Spiros
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 12:13 (link):
This is a pretty stunning blow. Condolences to his family and friends.
Posted by Syd Webb, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 12:14 (link):
Bother.
My condolences to all those dear to Chris.
Posted by Graham Lally, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 12:15 (link):
There are few people whose death would bring so much sadness to so many people. I only saw him in person once when he gave a talk, but his work was famous, ingenious, and ultimately inspiring, and one of the reasons why I signed up with the ISP he helped run. Truly one of the greats. Rest in peace, Chris.
Posted by James McKenzie, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 18:47 (link):
Thank you all for your wonderful messages of support, I will pass them on to his family. It's been a great discovery just how many good friends Chris had, but such a sad way to find out. I'm one of the six people, along with Chris, who founded the ISP that hosts most of his on-line presence, and we will keep all of Chris' work up and on line.
Take care,
James.
Posted by David Jones, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 20:56 (link):
So sorry. My sympathy to his family and friends. Such a shame Chris wasn't aware of how much he touched so many people.
Posted by Jeff O'Brien, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 17:58 (link):
Very sad. My condolences.
Posted by Anna Gunn, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 20:06 (link):
A great loss.
Posted by Richard Allan, Thursday, 8 March 2007 08:36 (link):
With my own memories of always fascinating conversations and in appreciation of genuinely original thinking that gave me new insights into political issues, I offer condolences to Chris' close friends and family.
Posted by nunobensen, Thursday, 8 March 2007 17:13 (link):
I'm shocked and saddened.
Posted by Jools Smyth, Thursday, 8 March 2007 17:22 (link):
I'm in shock. So sad :( I knew Chris quite briefly as I hosted with his company mythic-beasts. He was very helpful and friendly. A really clever chap too.
I'm so sorry. My heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends.
Posted by Neil Thrun, Saturday, 10 March 2007 00:11 (link):
I'm very sorry to hear of this. I never met Chris, but back in 2002/2003 I was in middle school and randomly came across Chris's weblog. Having grown up in the midwest of America, I was completely unable to understand what most of his posts ment, but somehow felt they were profound, and slowly I started getting interested in not only european politics but world politics and fancy graphs aswell. So I read off and on from about 2003 to probably 2005. I randomly remembered his weblog, and searched his name out through the site BIMBO(Blog intellegent moderation by oligarchy)which he was involved with. I'm sad to hear this news, and wanted to tell his friends and family that theres an 18 year old kid in America who remembers him and his ideas.
Posted by Philip Walford, Sunday, 11 March 2007 13:30 (link):
I am very sorry to hear this. My condolences to his family.
Posted by Ben Metcalfe, Monday, 12 March 2007 05:20 (link):
I'm totally shocked to hear the news - especially as I only found out just now, some days after the public announcement.
I met Chris a few times, mixing in similar circles to him and sharing common friends etc. He was an exceptional guy, committed to his selfless beliefs which resulted in the many projects he participated in including No2ID and MySociety.
It's such a shock when someone so young dies, and I'm sure Chris's passing will leave a gaping void in the London alpha scene.
Much of Chris's work and thoughts live on, of course, in his blog and website -- I hope whoever looks after his website can find a way to make sure these pages remain online to maintain Chris's legacy.
My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Posted by Dan Hardie, Monday, 12 March 2007 16:47 (link):
I can't add anything to what's been said about the quality of Chris Lightfoot's writing and research. What I will say is that I started a quarrel with him on one of his comments threads: I could have just made a few reasonable criticisms, but I chose to make them in a very aggressive way. Chris's replies were extremely calm and courteous, and when I emailed him later he chatted in the friendliest way- and offered to buy me a drink. Quite probably he realised that anyone who sounded so furious had a few problems, and his replies were helpful to me at a time when I needed help. Chris Lightfoot acted like a friend to a complete stranger who had picked a fight with him. Only a very big, very generous person could have done that.
Posted by David B. Wildgoose, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 09:24 (link):
I've just made a donation to No2ID and would urge others to do so. RIP Chris.
Posted by Bill Thompson, Friday, 16 March 2007 18:53 (link):
Chris's Obituary is in The Times today.
Posted by Martin Keegan, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 17:50 (link):
My obituary for Chris is now online at http://mk.ucant.org/archives/000129.html. There are a few bits and pieces which will be added to it in due course.
Posted by steph lightfoot, Saturday, 24 March 2007 15:52 (link):
I keep meaning to post something on the site, so here I am - blog virgin, rising to the 'Post a Comment' challenge of writing something 'interesting, avoiding errors of grammar and orthography'. Only my brother ...
I have spent a long time over the last few weeks reading so many tributes and reactions to Oggie's death. It's been not only an education, but a massive support, and it's hard to express how much it has touched me to know how many people cared about, respected, and loved him. What a diverse network of people. From MPs to American teenagers, a Times Obituary at 28, Martin Keegan's tribute. Amazing! So I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for taking the time to write something, express their sadness, and show their respect. It's been a massive comfort to me to read so much about his life through his network of websites. From Mysociety to Mythic Beasts to his short stories, random rants, photos, weblinks. From the serious to the ridiculous. How dry and funny are some of his comments? Scathing and acerbic, no shit.
I am so proud of everything he achieved, and the good man he grew up to be. I only wish I'd taken the time while he was alive to really understand what he was so passionate about and to talk to him about it in person. But now it's too late! I still can't get my head around it - what a waste.
So, to my massively passionate, argumentative, opinionated, ranting, mind blowingly clever, funny little brother ... Rest in Peace. I really hope you've found some, because if not, you've pissed a lot of people off.
Meanwhile the rest of us will be blissfully enjoying cheese on toast without you pulling puking faces in the background.
And indulging in heinous grammar and spelling crimes ...
Last laugh?
All my love, I will always miss you,
Your bossy big sister xx
Posted by Pete Stevens, Saturday, 24 March 2007 19:35 (link):
Chris was featured in the Last Word on Friday 23rd March. The Listen again link for people inside the UK is http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/last_word, it should be available until Friday 30th Mach 2007.
Posted by Geeklawyer, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:44 (link):
I was appalled to learn last night of Chris's death. My commiserations to his family and friends.
I knew Chris a little bit from anti-EUCD campaigning three or four years back - he had some pointed and intelligent views, and he contributed a great deal to the thinking on the policy issues. I then got to know him rather better from no2id where I spoke to him on a number of occasions, mostly on the geek stuff he loved and about which he was far more accomplished than I; he helped me immensely and patiently and that was the measure of his character.
He was an engaging intelligent young man who was clearly going to achieve much.
Posted by Helen Wright, Monday, 2 April 2007 00:36 (link):
I thought I ought to note here, albeit rather tardily, that I'm compiling a list of tributes to Oggie and responses to his death. I have tried not to miss anything, but if you notice something that I haven't included, I would welcome an email about it.
Posted by Bruno, Thursday, 26 April 2007 11:36 (link):
Well, that just sucks. That's bad news. Chris was kind enough to take the time to reply to me, an internet nobody whom he didn't know from a bar of soap, on a fairly complex statistical question once. He took a lot of time and effort in his response, and he made sure I understood it properly. It's not often you find knowledgeable people willing to take their own time to educate an unknown person. We need more people like him, not less. I'm sorry to hear this, and may he rest in peace.
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