R.I.P. Digital Bill ::: 12.12.58 - 10.4.2006
Last night I got the type of news nobody wants to ever hear, my friend, Bill Douthett, had passed away unexpectedly. The last 18 hours or so have been pretty surreal to say the least. It's taken me this long to even gather my thoughts into a cohesive post.
Yesterday the online world lost a great friend. Fellow Mac geek and podcaster Bill Douthett, a.k.a. "Digital Bill", suddenly passed away at his home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Bill was well known within the Macintosh community as co-host of "The Wizards of Technology" podcast, and having also been an icon in the south FL Macintosh community as a long-time employee of the now defunct Mac Center.
Details on Bill's death are still unknown, but it appears he died of natural causes. I am still having a hard time believing that my buddy is gone. I literally just saw him the other day and we spoke via iChat almost daily. Life sure has a strange way of throwing you a curve ball when you least expect it.
Memorial services have not been scheduled as of yet, but a small group of friends and family are working together to establish a memorial website which will provide everyone with information about when and where services will be held, where to send flowers, and also with the opportunity to leave condolences, comments, and memories about this wonderful human being. I will provide you with a link as soon as I have it.
There are several websites that have already made mention of Bill's passing [UPDATED]:
http://www.macmerc.com/news/macmerc/3531
http://www.macosken.com/
http://www.jaronbrass.com/archive/entry/311
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/
http://suicidegirls.com/girls/Posh/1447524/
http://leoville.vox.com/library/post/bye-bye-wizard.html/
http://www.tinyscreenfuls.com/2006/10/rip-digitalbill-douthett-wizards-of-technology-podcaster/
http://www.surfbits.com/?p=921
http://theeducationalmac.blogspot.com/2006/10/have-good-rest-digital-bill.html
http://www.evilgeniuschronicles.org/wordpress/2006/10/06/rip-digital-bill-douthett/
http://digg.com/tech_news/DigitalBill_of_Wizards_of_Technology_has_passed_away
My thoughts and prayers go out to Bill's family. It's going to be strange not seeing Bill online with his quirky status messages. You will be missed my friend. Godspeed.
Technorati Tags: Bill Douthett, Digital Bill, Podcasts
Comments
I didn't know him, but I wish I did. His podcasts were very informative and humorus. Rest in peace, Bill.
Posted by: Tim | October 5, 2006 7:08 PM
This is sad news. I worked with him for several years at MacCenter. I learned a lot from him and only part of it was technology. He was a smart and interesting guy.
Posted by: Rich | October 6, 2006 10:18 AM
Hi, Frank. I'm Molly, Bill's sister-in-law. I have been surfing today following all the links for the sites with tributes to Bill. It means so much to us to know how widely respected and loved Bill is. He is one of the most non-judgmental people I've ever known. We are so glad to hear the words of support and love; it makes his absence less stark.
Thanks for your tribute; I love that picture!
Molly
Posted by: Molly Douthett | October 6, 2006 1:57 PM