Science Fiction Master Ray Bradbury passed away peacefully Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles at 91 years of age. Story here. And here is a wonderful essay he wrote for the New Yorker about his grandfather.
His stories were a great inspiration to me as a kid to not be afraid to look up and wonder, to question authority, to read and read more, and that ‘insanity is relative’ (From the short story The Meadow).
Actionsuit Alert! 
I read this news in class today, and one of my students said, “I don’t know who that is.” I told her, “Yes, you do.” Even if you’ve somehow never read his work, his handprints are all over modern culture, not just SF. His imagination and storytelling changed the way we look at ourselves and our world. Truly a giant.