Martin Skidmore [RIP 2011]

RIP...really sad.

Rest In Peace Martin. And thank you for all you gave.

That made me tear up, Ned.

He truly was one of the good guys, in every way. RIP Martin, and fuck you, cancer.

Thank you all kindly. I was crying as I wrote it.

Really lovely piece, Ned. RIP Martin.

so sad.

i didn't know him but he seemed very brilliant on ilx.

RIP

very sad. despite his infamous frankness, the one word that always applied to him was "gentleman". RIP Martin.

rip, always seemed like such a good-hearted and intelligent guy.

Just heard this. So sad...

Did not know him IRL but was fond of him as a poster--very sorry news and my condolences to the friends and family who will miss him so :(

I was just wondering how he was doing, and if he was getting any better. Fuck. RIP.

RIP, and sorry to all the ilxors that knew him better than I did.

sorry to all his friends, and selfishly, that I never met him. adieu.

RIP Martin. echoing everyone's thoughts here - sorry I never got to know him but he was indeed one of ILX's best posters, and someone I remember who was incredibly nice to me when I first joined. Condolences to his family and all of those here who knew him.

Rest in peace Martin :(

really sorry and sad to hear about this. his posts were a highlight of my early ILX experience.

Damn. One of the few ilxors I've met irl and he was lovely, gracious and friendly. He raised the level of discourse here with intelligence and wit. I was sad that he felt he had to stop posting here and enjoyed it when I would bump into one of his posts on FT or elswhere. Just hope he's at peace now...RIP

Very sad, RIP.

only know him as a great presence on a lot of classic threads here, but he was always so engaged & good humoured, this is very sad.

He was always such a terrific guy, almost absurdly good to everyone. And he had such a great and honest sense of himself. Such sad news ... he'd only have gotten even better and smarter. Ned's right to point how he could even tackle this illness with grace and good spirits, and keep right on writing and thinking. I will really, really miss this guy.

What a lovely man.

I think some of us need to go to the Glasshouse Stores ASAP and raise a glass.

Whatever happens, count us all there in spirit.

echoing darraghmac's sentiments...

RIP, and sorry to all the ilxors that knew him better than I did.

count me in for many spirits; martin was my the first regular to befriend me. didn't interact w/ him lately, but always liked him and found his crankiness a good good thing, and espesh sorry to his family and friends.

Aw shit. Farewell Martin and good thoughts to all his friends :(

all this time i've been here and i didn't really know him ... but i remember his thoughtful posts (esp. from ilx's earliest days).

rip and condolences to his family :-(

He put me in my place on here once (I deserved it), and I really appreciated it. He was very good to talk to, very understanding and fair and kind. Sad day.

this is horrible. martin was a kind and thoughtful man.

WBS's wonderful tribute is up:

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=3885

:(

rip

I didn't even know he was sick. My mom's had the same type of cancer for the past 6 years; my uncle had it too and died within months of detection. I only met him once or twice at London FAPS, but he was always a friendly presence around here. From his postings, at least it seems he lived life fully. I just read his journal--harrowing stuff.

Aw man, 52?

He was indeed a total stalwart of the Jukebox, and also I Love WWE, in its heyday.

Sleep well dude.

RIP. I only knew him via his ILX posts and what I read by him on Singles Jukebox, but he had a distinctive and engaging presence. When I was first trying to figure out ILX, he was one of the personalities that came to life most obviously and vividly. Besides the intelligence and ranging curiosity, seemed like a fundamentally decent guy. I'm sorry to hear he's gone.

RIP

RIP Martin :(

i didnt know the guy as well as a lot of people here but from his posts he was a very genuine and honest guy. RIP.

I did not know Martin, but I am very sorry for the loss of your friend.

Never got the pleasure to converse with him, but saw more than my fair share of his posts in the archive...seemed a very thoughtful, respectful, and intelligent guy.

RIP Martin

So, so, so sorry to hear this. He was always so nice to me, and to everyone. I'm just glad I got the chance to meet him when he was alive. RIP Martin.

RIP

A great guy. Rest in peace dude.

i just went back and read martin's lj for the last few months, and aside from kicking myself for not trying to send a few more words along after the facebook post months back, i am really astounded by the grace and humility and charity in those posts. obviously i'm sure he had and expressed a wealth of different emotions as all this went on, but the...grace (no other word, really) of those entries, especially in the last month or so, was really remarkable.

Didn't know Martin that well outside of Jukebox, but he was easily one of our MVPs, and always a pleasure to read. Rest in peace.

Ach, this happened a lot sooner than I expected :( Martin kept on posting to his Liejournal most days, after his diagnosis he went on a spree of reading all the books he'd always meant to get round to, which I thought was a sweet way of spending one's valuable last times. His descriptions of treatment were hard to read and heartbreaking, and it is more so now as he'd seemed to rally a little recently. Rest easy Martin, you were a gracious, kind and big-hearted guy.

Livejournal. ack what a typo :(

i'm deeply sorry i never got to meet martin. he was a decent and reassuring presence on ile and ilc for years. he was a wonderfully smart and informed guy, seemed to have read and seen everything, and wrote very well about it. i spent a whole afternoon a few weeks ago reading his reviews at the comics site he edited. i meant to drop him a line to tell him how terrific i thought it was -- too late now. :(

reading all the books he'd always meant to get round to

I should tear up at "books before I diary" but it's so Martin and so indicative of what strongo so rightly identifies as grace.

so often I come across really excellent insightful posts on bumped threads and look to see who it is and yes, it's Martin. Always enjoy his Singles Jukebox contributions too. I'd have liked to have known him better, and my thoughts are with everyone who did. RIP.