His early death was a particularly shocking and distressing one--he suffered from a degenerative aging disease which gave him, at age 38, the appearance of a centenarian. It has been speculated that he was suffering simultaneously from Pick's Disease and early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. A busy and prolific writer for most of his adult life, he found it virtually impossible to work in his last three years, although friends sometimes completed work for him without credit.
