Explorer Thor Heyerdahl, 87, Dies

AP, via Newsday.com ^ | 19 April 2002 | DOUG MELLGREN

[Vigilant1]

OSLO, Norway -- Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer who crossed the Pacific on a balsa log raft to prove his theories of human migration, has died at 87.

Heyerdahl, whose book "Kon-Tiki" on the daring 101-day voyage sold millions of copies, stopped taking food, water or medication in early April after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. He died Thursday night in his sleep at home in Colla Michari, Italy, said his son, Thor Heyerdahl Jr.

Heyerdahl had been hospitalized near there in late March when he became ill over the Easter holiday.

[Vigilant1]

When other anthropologists mired in the conventional wisdom sneered at Hyerdahl's theories as impossible, Thor put his life on the line and went out and conclusively proved that what he claimed could, in fact, have been done with ancient technology by simply doing it himself.

Bon voyage, Thor, we'll miss you.

[backhoe]

Bon voyage, Thor, we'll miss you.

Thank you for saying that. He came to visit my parents, years ago when I was very small, and I vaguely recall meeting him. My Dad was a very skilled amatuer boat-builder, and they talked for hours. How & when they first met is lost to me, but I'll ask my Mom next time I see her.

[Buffalo Bob]

Man! After what this guy has done I feel like a total wussy surfin the internet.

[sneakypete]

stopped taking food, water or medication in early April after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. He died Thursday night in his sleep at home in Colla Michari, Italy,

I'm surprised nobody else commented on this. Here we have a case of a great man who is 87 years old,having to die a painful death from starvation because of archaic religious laws that prevented him from getting a doctor to show him the same courtesy we show dogs and cats.

[Luis Gonzalez]

YOU MET HIM?!?!?!?!?!?

As a child, in Cuba, I read the Voyage of the Kon Tiki, it was the greatest adventure book that I had ever read, still is today.

Smooth seas Thor, fare thee well.

[mattdono]

I have been an admirer of Mr. Heyerdahl for a short while. My conclusions on him: he just proved everyone wrong. Conventional wisdom...he was empirical wisdom.

Enjoy the view from above...

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Nothing prevented Heyerdahl from killing himself sooner. Holland, not too far from Norway, legalized euthanasia in November of 2000 and I'm certain had he wanted to he could have found a pharmaceutical cocktail to do the job sooner if he had wanted. He made his decision to refuse medication, food and water on April 9th, slipped into a coma on April 16th and died on the 18th. No one and or no law forced him to do what he chose to do.

[hangin' chad]

As a child, in Cuba, I read the Voyage of the Kon Tiki, it was the greatest adventure book that I had ever read, still is today.

Ditto... when I was 10 years old Kon Tiki really opened my eyes to what a great adventure reading can be...

[backhoe]

Luis, my Dad was an amatuer boat-builder of some renown ( an engineer by training, he grew up on Cape Hatteras in the 1890's and learned the trade from his Dad, who was the bar pilot of Nags Head/Diamond Shoals ) and for some reason "Tor" as my Mom still calls him, stopped by the house to visit. I was so small I only recall a "large" ( but they all were then! ) and friendly man. I still have a copy of Kon-Tiki, which I just tried to locate, but it's buried in a stack of stuff.

My Dad knew a lot of interesting & sometimes famous people, nearly all gone now, as is he- all I can say is "Smooth sailing, clear skies, and a steady wind to you, oldtimers- the world will not see your like again."

[sneakypete]

Nothing prevented Heyerdahl from killing himself sooner.

He didn't know he had a unoperable brain tumor sooner.

Holland, not too far from Norway, legalized euthanasia in November of 2000

So what? He wasn't a Dutch citizen,so he couldn't apply for euthanasia. There is a whole process that has to be accomplished before this happens,including interviews with other doctors.

and I'm certain had he wanted to he could have found a pharmaceutical cocktail to do the job sooner if he had wanted.

Why are you so certain of this? The man was 87 years old. It's not like he was out every night at rave parties.

He made his decision to refuse medication, food and water on April 9th, slipped into a coma on April 16th and died on the 18th.

Ok,so he was only conscious of his starvation for a mere week. I'm sure it was a REAL pleasant week,both for him and for his family.

No one and or no law forced him to do what he chose to do.

He obviously felt like his disease left him no choice,and the law DID prevent him from getting a drug coctail from a doctor that would work quickly.

[hangin' chad]

bump...thanks for you post...it sounds as if you were very blessed with a father who attracted interesting friends and visitors to the home...and what a great place to grow up.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I thuppothe after his voyage he wath tho Thor he could hardly pith.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I got news for you...

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I'm surprised nobody else commented on this. Here we have a case of a great man who is 87 years old,having to die a painful death from starvation because of archaic religious laws that prevented him from getting a doctor to show him the same courtesy we show dogs and cats.

I wonder, do you support assisted suicide?

[sneakypete]

I wonder, do you support assisted suicide?

You can stop wondering,because I do.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

So you think spaying or neutering would have helped?

[sneakypete]

So you think spaying or neutering would have helped?

I'm willing to let you do your own family planning.

[backhoe]

My Father was perhaps the most charismatic person I have ever known.... people were just "drawn" to him, and he could entertain for hours with witty, poignant, and funny stories of the rich, famous, and little-known but noteworthy people he knew from almost 95 years of living.

He was also gifted with what I call "clear seeing"-- he had an uncanny ability to cut through the smoke and haze of conflicting arguments and stories and see the truth with perfect clarity. Many, many times I though the old man was dead wrong about a person or an issue, only to find on gaining more information or living experience myself that he had been dead to rights all along.
Yes, I sure miss him!

I can only hope the he "sailed beyond the sunset" and he & "Tor" are hoisting a fine glass of Jim Beam or Wild Turkey in a better world than this one....

[maxwell]

I thuppothe after his voyage he wath tho Thor he could hardly pith.

Bwahaha...

What I meant to thay ith, I am deeply thaddened.

[Jim Thornley]

Thor wrote a book about his year long honeymoon on a very primitive island in the Pacific. She had to be some gal.

The one line that I remember was that plagues are mankinds foxes. Relating to the fact that as the lemming population increased in the artic the foxes had larger litters.