Oh, that's terribly sad. I've only just been on this site for a littke less than a year and had been wondering why he wasn't around much. His humor, wit and knowledge made jim a pleasire to read, and i know he'll be sorely missed.

Would you give the link to his blog?

Thanks for sharing this sad news.

Paule

As the first fodorite to meet dogster face to face, I must say I am deeply saddened. He will, indeed, be missed here. His wit and writing style kept many of us begging for MORE, MORE. May our dogster RIP.

And thank you crosscheck for posting this thread.

Oh no.... I was looking forward to his next trip report. 62 is MUCH too young.
Are you sure it's OUR Dogster? Could you post the link to the obit. Many thanks.

WOW! Happy Travels!

Very sad! He was a special person and it was a joy to read his reports. He certainly will be missed. I am going to India partly because of Dogster's stories.

Incredibly sad news. 2012 has been a yr. of loss on these boards. RIP, indeed.

dogster's blog:

http://thedogster5.wordpress.com/

tribute to dogster:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/when-a-fitter-and-turner-met-an-eccentric-theatrical-type-magic-followed/story-e6frg8n6-1226438895126

Sorry we never got to meet him. His responses to my posts and his trip reports provided much entertainment. Only the good die young...

I found the blog, and you'll see that his name is on it: Nigel Triffit, a truly remarkable and talented man:

http://thedogster.wordpress.com/

Obits:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/when-a-fitter-and-turner-met-an-eccentric-theatrical-type-magic-followed/story-e6frg8n6-1226438895126

or

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandartsdaily/vale-nigel-triffitt/4175472

Do a search on his name and you'll find plenty about him.

Here also, more great blogging.

http://dogster5.wordpress.com/

Oh, crosscheck, I am so sorry to hear that! He was indeed a special person. I enjoyed his writing, especially about India, and I appreciated his travel advice, again, especially about India. He will long be remembered. Thanks for letting us know.

We last communicated in July only days before his passing. His spirit was still strong but his illness was keeping him at home. He tried to be funny and cunning, even complaining about a certain member of Fodors but I did feel that he could not last much longer..

R.I.P. Nig!

I was never priviledged to meet him but I looked forward to his posts!

I had his real name - discovered from a variety of places where he had posted. I am a genealogist and discovered -online - quite by accident, that he was also.
He was truly a man of many talents and interests and the world is a better place because he was willing to share in so many venues!

I'm sure he will be missed in many, many, circles.

What incredibly sad news. He will be mourned by so many.

Oh, no....thank you, crosscheck. I opened your message so hoping that you were using that message heading merely to tease Dogster out of hiding.

What a talented man and terrible loss to us and to so many. His writing sparkled, delighted, and humbled us.

First Andy and now Dogster. Feeling bruised by the losses of these two vibrant members of this on-line community.

Rest in peace indeed, Dogster. Thank you for sharing your enormous talent with us. We will miss you here at the Fodor's Asia board.

What a shock! I missed him as his postings here trailed off, but I didn't realize he had been ill. He made a few comments about not being able to travel, but this is such sad news. He, like Gpanda, instilled so much vibrance into Fodors. RIP Nigel.Thank you for all you did for us here.

oh wow! sad news, very sad. he was funny, witty, odd, informative, etc.

the last time i saw him, he was wearing the craziest pair of socks. now, he and gpanda will be able to talk about the rest of us.

How spooky seeing both dogster and gpanda's emails still in my inbox. It's as if they are still with us.

Ken I still have the pictures from our last GTG with dogster a few months ago. Let me know if you want them.

I can only echo the sentiments of those before me. Dogster will be greatly missed. His wit and talent were truly remarkable and his writing style a work of art. RIP dogster.

Only yesterday, I was telling my husband about Dogster. Last time I was in Bangkok, he declined having dinner with me and Pook, saying he wasn't feeling well. I wasn't quite sure if he really was ill, or if he just didn't want to meet me.

As I was telling the story to my DH, I realized I hadn't seen him on Fodor's since I returned from BKK in April and said that I should give him a shout here. I guess I was already too late.

He was an entertaining character, and I'm sorry he's gone so soon.

Lucy I can reassure you that he was keen on a gtg with you. The man was very frail and he did break 2 ribs the day before our gtg.

I am so sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed his posts.

I have been thinking about Dogster and wondering why there hadn't been any recent posts. When I'd see a "comment removed" on this forum, I'd wonder if it was something from the Dogster. when I first started reading this forum, he quite intimidated me. But then he proved to be so generously helpful when we were planning our '10 India trip . He seemed to be a study in contradictions with his oh so harsh comments and the many more warm, helpful, humanistic ones. His spirit infused this forum for so long. What very sad news.

lcuy, I recently told my husband about him as well! He was very involved during our initial India planning and for sure I will be thinking about him during our trip.

Would love to see an unabridged collection of his deleted posts - I think he had the all-time record.

Such a shock to see this. I hadn't realized he was so ill, although I had missed seeing him here. He was always worth reading, and sometimes worth following. I found out who he was very early, but you didn't need to know that to appreciate his posts here. So sad.

I hope / believe that Fodorites, and scanners of Fodor's boards, will continue to benefit from dogster's comments for years to come. How generously he shared his observations!

RIP, dogster.

aloha pook, if its not too much trouble, i would appreciate those pics. pls send them to my email, if possible. i too, took some pics, but it seems to be lost in the bowels of my photo file. i will look for them, and forward same to you. mahalo.

Ken - email sent.

Oh no, this is sad news indeed. A part of me still hopes that we'll see some entertaining new journey notes from the dog soon. Great traveller, great writer, he'll be missed. RIP dogster.

Happy trails, Dogster, you'll be missed.

His "attendance" at the Boston GTG a few years ago was remarkable.

Oh no. I was wondering why he hasn't posted. Sassafrass, a poster on the cruise forum and I met him last yr. on the Celebrity Constellation and I was charmed by this remarkable man. He was very talented in his filed, produced a number of plays and BTW designed the opening ceremony for the Sydney Olympics. I was sure hoping to meet him on a cruise or on land one day. So, so sorry and sad to hear this.

Yet another one who is very sorry to hear about Dogster. Whilst he has entertained and informed me for so long on this forum I had no idea about his theatrical side. To know that he designed the set for Top Dogs which I would go back to see in a heartbeat shows a whole new side to him.

I'm so sorry to hear this news also and enjoyed his posts and humor so much. I once was in Siem Reap at the same time as he and always was on the lookout for a man that I imagined would be him. He made me laugh and appreciate even more the human condition and brought India, and everyplace else he travelled, completely to life. He will be missed...

Well I have to tell you moremiles how I 1st saw him. It was sort of like that. We found out we would be on the same cruise together and I asked him what he looked liked as he never posted apic of himself. He said 'imagine Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones after and hard night drinking." Well the 1st night on the Connie I saw a man who sort of looked like that standing by the elevator. My wife and I walked over that way and I mentioned to her about hitting the martini bar. You see I had told Nigel I never ever had a martini b4 so we agreed to have one together. Well right away he knew it was me so off we went. We talked for more than an hr. like old friends. My wife dubbed him 'hotdog" and as you can imagine the name fit him.

We booked the Equinox later and he mentioned about it being on his "bucket list" and I was hoping he might join us there this fall. Well I will surely hit the martini bar and have one dedicated to him. Happy trails Nigel!!

Thanks for sharing that story jacketwatch. Here's another quote from his correspondence that you all might enjoy and no I don't know what he meant by what he wrote - "I'm the only voluptous sex goddess on Fodor's."

That is truly sad news. How strange that I came to the Fodors Asia forum yesterday for the first time in two years, as we are finally financially able to plan trips to Japan, China and Hong Kong. And I found myself looking at Dogster's blog last night for the first time, remembering how his raw, wonderfully written reports engaged my imagination beyond anything else I have ever read here. And now this news. I shed a tear for a man I have never met and say thank you, Dogster, for sharing a piece of yourself with us. R.I.P. Dogster.

Yes, thanks for sharing that story jacketwatch. Just goes to show you the power of the written word that we can feel so strongly about someone we've never met. Reminds me of when John Lennon died.

So sad.

WOW. Who knew Dogster was such an accomplished theatrical personality? I will miss his wit, humor and helpful travel advice. And it appears that Australia will miss his creative talent. RIP, dogster.

One thought. 62 seems awfully young to check out (especially since I'm older), but he packed so much into those 62 years.

Remember how gently dogster comforted Gpanda?

Oh, gawd, my friend - this is a tough one. How scary this must be right now.

Just know that this network of distant friends is with you, sitting through this long, difficult night with you, hovering gently not far from your side. Feel it? That's us.

Watching and waiting with you, my friend...

My prayers, for what they're worth, go with you too. Hang on tight.

Hope dogster too felt the warmth of his distant friends.

Marija: Very nicely said.

This is so sad, he is way too young to leave us, may dogster RIP!

I wish I knew how to go out and retrieve that segment of my BKK trip report of about 4 years ago, when I finally convinced dogster to meet me at Haagen-Dazs at Central World Mall. He had never met face to face with any of us fodorites before, and I think that others who posted on that thread convinced him that I was probably the most non-threatening fodorite he could meet! So he decided to 'come out and say hello'....

If you go back and read that report, his version of our meeting was something about someone "impersonating" the dogster, sitting at the table with me, at Haagen-Dazs, while the "real" dogster was overlooking the whole thing, from the balcony above. He was truly unique!

I'm going to guess that it was a holiday trip in maybe 2008? After we met at Haagen-Dazs, I convinced dogster to come meet my husband and my son (bradinbangkok)and have Christmas dinner with us at the 'old' Pickled Liver. Such fond memories!! He came to dinner that year, and then came back the following year for Christmas dinner at the PL.

My son found Nigel on the internet that night after Christmas dinner, so we've known the secrets of the dear dog for nearly 4 years.

He'll be missed!

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/heading-to-thailand-for-the-holidays-again.cfm

This is a long link. Hope it works. This is the trip report when I met dogster. You need to start reading on Dec 19th, when dogster first chimes into the conversation.

Marija, that brought a tear to my eye - thanks for reposting this...

Thanks for the link. It made me smile, laugh and also tugged at my heart.

Dogster made my first solo trip to SEA so much easier. His encouragments and observations were very unique. Though we never met in person I feel I have lost a friend.

I hope your passing went easy.

How sad. He was truly one of a kind....at least I got that sense from his colorful posts here. I've always wondered who he really was....strange to see his guise revealed here today, but then find out he's gone off now to his next great adventure.

thanks, marija, for your wonderful memory and memorial.

Dog,

The most naturally talented fodorite....Andy was right....so were you, sometimes....

The last words you wrote to me were "Kissy, kissy HT"....

Kissy, kissy Nigel..... Aloha Oe!

I am very shocked and indeed saddened by the loss of our Dog. And yes, Don, his "appearance" at the Boston GTG a few years (perhaps 5 now) ago was funny and a nice way for us to keep our pal's personality with us that weekend.

Gpanda had actually revealed Nigel's real identity to me. Dogster had to have been one of the most entertainering writers I've ever known, even if I only knew him in cyberspace. Somehow, I have a mental picture of him, in heaven, with Andy, a drink in one hand, speaking with Andy about SEA, and chiding him a little for never getting to Tibet.

RIP, Dogster.

BC

So sorry to hear about the dog. Hopefully he is up there designing a stage set and has fabulous dancers to entertain him. RIP and know you will be missed here.

Here's a great (long) article about dogster that I found many years ago when we played the "I-don't-want-you-to-know-who-I- am-but-here-are-your-clues game."

http://www.bargainshoes.com.au/bargain-shoes-articles/1997/2/22/the-terribly-talented-triffitt/

DH and I were privileged to attend the Christmas 2010 dinner at Pickled Liver, and enjoyed Dogster's stories more than I can say. This is truly a loss for Fodor's and the arts.

Sandra

You will be missed Dogster.

I enjoyed reading your posts immensly.

I can almost hear you telling more stories up there !!

bob voyage, crazy man

bon not bob

I signed on today specifically looking for his old posts on India and am sad to learn of his passing...RIP Dogster. My condolences to his friends and family.

dogster on Oct 26, 09 at 10:01am
Ah, Marija, who knows where the Dog will end up?

They seek him here, they seek him there...

Those Frenchies seek him everywhere
Is he in heaven? Or is he in hell?
That damned elusive Pimpernel!

This is from the thread referenced above; the report of the meeting with dogster, after it had taken place.

"Carol, I'm so sorry I missed our rendezvous today.

I did pass by and saw the orange Fodor's bag but you were deep in conversation with somebody else. He didn't look very pleasant, downright horrible in fact, so I kept walking. I noticed a number of cameras focussed on your table and three men talking into their sleeve. One of them was sporting a golden crown and a fishtail.

Whoever the imposter was, I think it's best if you don't see him again. He looked very suspect indeed - and kinda sleazy. That fat belly, the grubby T-shirt, those short shorts and thongs are always a give-away. I saw him afterwards with three tiny Thai girls draped over his nether regions. He was heading into some kind of sporting event in Patpong.

Alas, my pink rinse and new bouffant hair-do went to waste. I'd spent hours in preparation. No matter - I met a very friendly, generous and charming lady quite by accident, instead. There seems to be more than one Haagen Daaz in Central World.

Funnily enough, her name was Carol, too."

His wit, his writing style, priceless!

I was another who knew of his "outside world" identity early on. But I think of the "real" dogster as being the person who interacted with us publically here on Fodors and in private emails to many of us. His fame weighted heavily on him. He felt the world's expectations made it less possible for him to be spontaneous, silly or irritable or however he felt in the moment because he had to be consistent with his public personna. Here he could be all of those things. And yes, sometimes his comments got "moderated" or he made people angry or offended, and sometimes he was remarkably gracious and kind and empathic - witness his words to Gpanda after Gpanda's diagnosis.

I know he valued this network of "distant friends" here on Fodors, friends with whom he could be himself rather than the "Terribly Talented Nigel Triffett."

Dogster's comments always brought to mind the famous quote from Alice Roosevelt Longworth "If you haven't got anything good to say about anybody, come sit next to me." I would have loved a Bali get together.

I will miss you also Dogster.

I so much enjoyed your comments and postings.

Regret I never got to meet you personally.

I remember how you tried to tell me you were an old lady from Prescott Arizona.

I hope you can see from up there how much your friends miss you

Rest in Peace

I didn't realize that dogster also posted on th "Cruises" forum. I thought we had him to ourselves in the Asia forum, lol. But come to find out, he loved to cruise and had many great blog postings about his cruise experiences also.

He was booked on a 3 wk. cruise last Oct. I wonder if he made that cruise.

Marija, such moving, spot-on tributes. I'm fairly certain the dog is in heaven behaving hellishly, unless that Ganges episode resulted in some sort of higher state of being.

Carol & jacketwatch, I was late to the party and wasn't one of his BFFs, but I'm still quite envious of your encounters. A martini on a cruise: iconic. A Hagan Daas in BKK with his evil twin: priceless.

---
Just so you all know, I was unsure about what to do when I discovered the obits. My first reaction was utter shock, and then I wanted to believe - or pretend - that it was all a sick joke perpetuated by him.

Not wanting to be the messenger, I thought of contacting one of the honchos of this board. Or not posting at all and waiting for someone else to find out.

But then I got a sign. I am not normally a spiritual person (haven't been to India yet), but I can say in no uncertain terms that I received an other-worldly message letting me know that I needed to disperse the news.

At some point I will share the freaky particulars over some pad thai. But meanwhile, I have no doubt that, like Gpanda, the dogster is still traveling with us, his distant friends.

oooooo, crosscheck! You just gave me the chills!

I'm so glad you got the "sign." It would have been terrible to keep on wondering what had happened to the Dogster. These stories and tributes are wonderful and cathartic--kind of an on-line memorial to the Dogster.

Oh, crosscheck, don't be like dogster and promise to tell us "someday. " We want to know now while the details are vivid. If you're in contact with dogster do ask him about the mafia in Udaipur, the post Pandaw poisoning, the ... And wish him a Happy Birthday on Sunday.

Crosscheck, yes! Tell us about the other-worldly message. Inquiring minds want to know.

emd3: He met us on the Connie for a 12 night holyland cruise which he actually cut short after about 10 nights. He jumped ship in Athens B4 our cruise ended and boarded the Azamara ship which was in port at the same time and off he went again. Prior to our cruise on the Connie he was on a Nile river cruise. After Azamara he went to Mumbai and then to other places in Asia. By the time he got back to Oz I think he had been away for several months.

C'mon cross check, lets hear it!

BTW the Connie and Azamara cruises were late Oct. to early Nov.

Saddened to hear of the passing of our Dog. Loved his style and his terrior temper. I think it was Craig who pointed out to someone who was on the receiving end of Dog's wrath..... that "a bite from the Dog is not fatal".

I must be one of the only ones who did not figure out Dogster's true identity even though I spent enough time trying to unravel the mystery. When he finally announced his name on his site and I found out that I was WAY off, I emailed him letting him know that I was so glad that he was not who I thought he was.

Broderick Smith.

We both had a good giggle about that.

Just so you know, Crosscheck, we are waiting eagerly to hear more tantalizing details when you are ready.

I'm trying to figure out how to tell you without revealing who I am!

rivet, When did you first notice his name on his site? I first saw it in mid-July, right around the time he stopped posting here.

cc--I noticed his name on his website in April and took that as an indicator that he didn't plan to return to Fodors. He was annoyed by the constant editorial deletions and devoted his efforts to his geneaology site:

www.triffitt.wordpress.com

I don't think he ever posted after returning to Australia after the events described here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/who-am-i-175072-2.cfm

His prediction was ironically 'I will survive...'

(I also never communicated with him offline.)

Now we're left with the cc mystery. Was dogster contacting Barbara Walters, Billy Graham, or a wine importer with hopes of one last bottle of his beloved Pouilly Fume?

Marija, that was the last post he started, but he did respond to others' posts after that.

Crosscheck, I thought he added his real name to his website about a year ago, though I may be wrong.

dogster on May 25, 12 at 10:21pm
I've been finding Fodor's more irritating than informative lately, so I decided to take a Fodo-break.

It's still irritating - but I find the cruising board calms me down. It moves so slowly I can pretend I'm dead.

I think his last post was on July 2nd in the Lounge of all places, about ankle cramps:

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodorite-lounge/ankle-cramps-in-the-middle-of-the-night-anyone-have-this-any-relief.cfm

oh bloody hell.

The sign; Someone asked me to work on a dog-related project. And during the meeting (in a cafe), a jazzy Dylan song was playing, a song that I hadn't heard in years:

If Dogs Run Free

If dogs run free, then why not we
Across the swooping plain?
My ears hear a symphony
Of two mules, trains and rain
The best is always yet to come
That’s what they explain to me
Just do your thing, you’ll be king
If dogs run free

Lovely, thank you.

So dogster finally slipped into the US, despite his previous legal difficulties. Thanks for telling us, cc.

So moving. Thank you.

Miss dear Gpanda and now you will be missed my friend. So sad to hear of your passing, the board has lost a charismatic poster. Travel safe dear Dogster, give Gpanda a hug from me. X

This makes me immensely sad. Dogster's writing was magic, and his personality certainly larger than life.

crosscheck, I got Dogster's true name from his geneology site a long time ago, over a year ago, for sure. There were a couple of replies from his family members at that time, though of course I did not know the relationship between the parties, and I didn't find the details as engaging as Dogster's other writings.

I was however, pleased to finally have that mystery of Dog's identity solved. There was an email option on the site and that's how I contacted Dogster; I was glad he was not who I thought he was, and so was he! I admire his accomplishments, but did not know of him or his work prior to that time ...I only know him for the Dog we have grown to love on this forum.

In the only other subsequent email between us, I asked Dogster which cruise was his favorite. He did not single one out but recommended the 20 day Remotest Burma with Pandaw.

Another talent lost.

This is so sad. I stumbled on his posts and then his blog about a year ago. I was so taken with his writing style at that time that that is all I did for weeks until I read it all. No TV, no fodors, just Dogster.

Aro-o-o-o-o!

Welcome back, travelaw. I was hoping you'd see this. What a grand time we had when dogster was at the helm.

Very sorry to hear the news.

Dogster's posts were always pity, entertaining and had an acute eye for the "off stage" moments & players, as well as being a great source of information. I came here this morning as I'm off back to Nepal & adding Bhutan next year & thought I'd trawl through some of his old posts on them.

I didn't know his other life, but again, enjoyed many of his works over the years; saw "Tap Dogs" 3 times - took my nieces & nephews and they were enthralled.

I hope his quote about sitting on a rock at Orpheus Island (in the SMH article 22/2/'97) is the way it was for him.

"And then he talks again of sitting on the rock, and how he had watched the sea and the sunset for a very long time.


" 'The clouds slowed down and suddenly there was a sense of being in the perfect moment. And I thought, 'I can go now.


I have experienced, very briefly, being in the perfect moment.


I can leave now.' "

Very moving memories of Dogster.

"Pithy", not "pity" - but you knew that. Empathy was more his thing, I believe.

I just read the story about the boy in the darkened room.

I am sad to read about his death. I visited the Asia board because someone sent me one of his tantalizing trip reports and when there were rumors he was going to attend the Boston GTG, I was disappointed that it was only a doll figure that Bob and GPanda presented to us.

If you read the story here, Bok, instead of on his website, you know about the new uniforms and school tuition from Uncle.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/dogster-crumbling-in-varanasi.cfm

Reading of Dogster's death today made me catch my breath. I found myself instantly sad at the passing of someone I'd never met in the flesh. Like many of you, I was a big fan of his stories. He is missed.

I do, Marija, thanks. Just didn't want to give the end ge away to others who may not have read it all yet.

Eccentricity is a rare gem and I think it's often our loss when the stones are rumbled into smoothness & uniformity.

Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn from Back Row Productions, whose first and most successful production was Tap Dogs, have remembered Nigel Triffitt in a public statement released last Thursday.

“...Nigel enjoyed his role as eminence terrible, with great and often-impudent good humour he revelled in his latter day renegade status. With a mature equanimity born of the security that success finally brought him, Nigel was graciously confrontational, diplomatically indelicate, and seriously witty."

So well said. Thats the dogster we luv. Nigel must be grinning from above about this.

I have always been a fan of the dogster. How strange that just last week I commented on a friend wearing a crew Tap Dogs TShirt. How bizarre to see the two worlds collide.

Thanks to everyone that shared links. I now find that I knew both sides of the eclipse of the sun, yet what remains between will always be a joyous enigma.

From one of those links so kindly shared. . . .

"A day later, a reprieve. He telephones. Not only that, he remembers what he said, because the question about joyous moments had worried him. "I thought it rather bleak," he says.

And then he talks again of sitting on the rock, and how he had watched the sea and the sunset for a very long time.

"The clouds slowed down and suddenly there was a sense of being in the perfect moment. And I thought, 'I can go now.

I have experienced, very briefly, being in the perfect moment.

I can leave now.' "

To all who had a more intimate relationship with dogster, my sincere condolences.
RIP dogster, the worlds they do collide.

Hey digester - 100 condolences in 3 days!

God dam iPad! That's suppose to read "dogster" not "digester"!

hanuman, you read my mind that dogster would be delighted to see this thread surge past the 100 message mark so quickly.

Glad to hear we all curse our iPads. They are a useful device with a silly name and fiendishly annoying correction "capabilities."

You can turn off the so-called correction on the iPad. It was one of the first things I did.

Marija - do have a link to the piece you quoted?

Here's the link, thursday:

http://aussietheatre.com.au/news/a-brilliant-and-lateral-mind-tap-dogs-remember-nigel-triffitt/

And for those who want to see dogster, rent Howling V. He's the professor. (That's why travelaw howled goodbye.)

I looked for it on netflix but not there.
H called Cheap Thrills. Has anyone read it?e also wrote a book

sorry1 He also wrote a book, Cheap thrills. Has anyone readit. Not available on Amazon.

There is now a memorial thread on cruisecritic.com

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1690912

If you are my FB friend you can see a photo I just posted of dogster and Maeng, taken at the Pickled Liver, Bangkok, on Christmas day 2010. A very happy time for all of us.

On the origin of dogster, by dogster :

http://triffitt.wordpress.com/about-the-author/

Thanks for the links, Marija.

simpson510, what's your name on facebook.
cigalechanta@hotmail.com

You have email, Mimi.

He was an amazingly funny man.

I enjoyed dogster's writings, and his take on life and travel.
A complex man, nonetheless. Good storyteller and he kept me interested reading about his exploits.
I don't know for sure, but I think he kept fodors watch staff occupied.

Dogster travelled the length and breadth of India many times till he became totally fascinated by India. It seems to me that he got inspiration from India that led him to his writings about India.

RIP Dogster .....you will be missed on this forum.

So sorry, Dogster.

On behalf of the Fodor's team, our thoughts are with Dogster's friends and family. As many of you have said already, He was a tremendous asset to the Fodor’s Community and the Asia board. And we know his presence will be greatly missed.

His travel reports were amazing. He will be missed so much by all his friends at Fodor's.

Thank you Marija. I hadn't been on Fodors much lately and just happened to stumble in on the same day crosscheck posted. I was stunned to hear the news. I knew our Dog had some health issues, but I didn't expect him to pass at such a young age. I had recently wondered what he was up to, as I hadn't heard from him in quite a while. Needless to say, my heart is broken. When I discovered his true identity, I guess it was around 2007 or 2008, I felt like I was allowed into a secret society. Dogster was a very special person - he was incredibly kind and helped me get through some tough emotional stuff a couple of years ago. He was always authentic, incredibly wise and probably the wittiest person I've ever met. The world has lost a great person.

One of the tweets from the arts community about dogster's death said he had become a "recluse" in his final years. Little do they know of dogster's "network of distant friends" who will miss him so.

Marija, you are right! Little did they know...

Recluse??? He was traveling all over the world!

But in his 'real world' he had very few true friends (just my impression from meeting him and conversing with him several times). He had loads of 'friends' here!

Having met him I got a different idea. I mean he was so open, funny, candid and just so cool and I was a virtual stranger. We carried on like old friends. We all agree we miss him. BTW my wife renamed him "hotdog". It seems to fit doesn't it.

Maybe my impression is unusual in that I was the very first fodorite to actually meet dogster (and DS then figured out his identity). He gave no clues as to who he was on that first meeting. It was after his identity had been revealed that he maybe opened up more, realizing that the fodors community was very non-threatening. Just my thoughts...

Wasn't Lori (offwego) the first to meet with dogster?
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/caling-all-dogsters.cfm

I think you are right Marija as I recall Dogster saying something along that line. I believe Carol is the first one who "exposed" dogster as Nigel Triffit something which he both despised as well as like!

I, too, wouldn't have classified Dogster as a "recluse" by any means. But I seem to remember a few years back, Dogster had been in hospital, then discharged to his home, and had openly stated here that people IRL who he'd thought were friends had not been so wonderful to him during his lengthy recuperation at home, and unable to walk much. His intention was to "hit the road" again as soon as he was able, and he did do just that. So perhaps because some of his "former friends" didn't see him much or hear from him, they assumed he was being reclusive, when in fact, he was merely directing his energies into his travels and blogging.

BC

When DS 'discovered' the real dogster, his identity was not divulged on fodors or anywhere else in public view. It was passed along via email to about 5-6 fodorites who I knew very well. Where it went from there is anyone's guess.... I'm sure it did not stop at that point. Pretty hard to keep (shhh) secrets around here.

I remember dogster writing with less than enthusiasm about Melbourne and its inhabitants well before his surgery. Of course, he may have been a bigger extrovert on the road than at home, I certainly am, but from his bio he seems to have been anything but a recluse all along.

Oh, my. Just checked into Fodor's after a few weeks on the road for work and found this. (Thank you, crosscheck for the notice and your years of thoughtful comments -- and you too, Marija and others.)

Dogster's posts never failed to put a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Made so many moments in various business travel hotel rooms and airline lounges all the more enjoyable. Not too many weeks back, I was in his home port of Melbourne for meetings and during one such encounter, noticed we were all wearing rather dark-coloured business suits. Brought back memories and a warm glow surrounding one of D's inimitable posts, describing his feelings of observing more than a few of his Melbourne neighbours walking around in all black attire. What a special gentleman.

Never had the privilege of meeting the man. Knew rather early on his 'real' identity and it didn't matter. For me, a Dogster opening post was the written equivalent of a Keith Richards opening lick at a Stones show. Sometimes spot on, sometimes not; didn't matter, always one to savour.

Nigel once intimated that he would soon commence flying 'up front' with Singapore Airlines for his future forays in and out of MEL. (And, oh yes, that also warmed my heart.) I'll be flying SQ1 back home to Singapore this evening, and will most surely raise a boarding glass of Champagne in his honour.

A good man. RIP, Nigel,

robert

Crosscheck, I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to post it. I think you are the last person dogster was working with on planning a trip. I think the sign appearing to you was dogster's way to send you off, since he wouldn't be here to post additional wisdom before you go. Bob Dylan sang your bon voyage from dogster.

I agree, Robert, that dogster's real identity didn't matter one bit. His writing drew us in and kept us wanting more. I am happy to have been one of the fortunate ones who met him face to face.

Just saw this post.

Dogster???

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Just got home to find the bloody Dog is dead!

I loved that disreputable old hound and shall miss him greatly. There will be no more sitting by the camp fire singing quietly while I wait for the next story. Think I'll just go howl at the moon for a bit.

A brilliant writer and story teller.Such a terrible shame he passed on so young.Condolences to family and friends.

Wow, Kathie. That gave me the chills.

I had felt honored that our resident iconoclast/bad boy anthropologist had taken an interest in my not so edgy trip. And I was disappointed when I posted my finalized itinerary and he didn't weigh in, after he had been so involved in the initial planning (especially on a thread that ended up deleted in its entirety.)

Sadly, we are not going to Ahilya Fort, where he had actually picked out a room for us. But I do expect to feel his presence on our trip, reminding me why I travel.

I think we will all 'feel his presence' when we travel S E Asia... at least for a while!

Oh no, another one gone. One of the most entertaining posters here.

Haven't been by in a while and was shocked and saddened to hear of Dogster's passing. I remember way back at the beginning when he began to post and no one knew who he was. I asked Gpanda if he thought Dogster was just a great writer who was pulling our collective legs or whether he believed he really did all the outrageous things he claimed Gpanda smiled and replied "it doesn't matter, he's jus wonderful either way".

RIP our friend.

Just saw this now - so sorry to learn of his passing. His trip reports were stunning - this one still makes me laugh with abandon

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/dogster-death-on-the-ganges.cfm

Just to let you all know that the amazing life of Dogster will be celebrated today, Aus east coast time 13.30, at the Fairfax Theatre, Arts Centre, Melbourne.

And for those who are feeling starved of his writing and don't know of his travel and family history blogsites - please enjoy these - they are truly delightful

http://thedogster.wordpress.com

www.triffitt.wordpress.com

And note that they come in a number of subblogs also worth searching...

I've found so far - thedogster1, thedogster2, etc - up to thedogster6

and triffitt1, etc up to triffit5

A few sections are not public, but there's hours / months of enjoyment to be found.

I have passed on to his family members and friends the condolences his travel family members have posted on this site

I'm hoping to publish on YouTube an 8-minute summary video of some of his work.
I'll let you know if / when that happens.

A rare treasure, Dogster - we'll all miss him

wattz

Thanks for letting us know, wattz. Do let us know about the YouTube summary video.

Oops - further to mine above - here's yet another Dogster blog.

http://yellowbrickroadshows.wordpress.com/

This is his own archive of his early theatre work.

He always was and always will be a "naughty boy".
Nothing delighted him more.

There may be more Dogster blogs to be found. If I find any I'll let you know.

wattz

Thanks for the update wattz. May I ask how you know digester, perhaps you had worked with him on some project? I am curious as you have "passed on to his family members and friends the condolences his travel family members have posted on this site".

Anyways great to know that our condolences are being extended to his family.

Oh dear it's happening again! Sorry but I meant to write "dogster" and not "digester"!

Nigel on YouTube
OK - here is the first of two Nigel videos I'll post on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuOXpOeLB8U&feature=youtu.be

This one is public - the second will need to be 'restricted' to better respect some copyright holders, and so it won't show up in standard YouTube searches. I'll post the link here later.

re Hanuman query as to how I know Nigel / Dogster - strange to say I didn't, personally, though I'm a close friend of many who worked with him over the years so I knew a great deal about his work and the strange / wonderful man he was. This first YouTube video is from one I shot in 2002 when asked to make a video record of the Puppetry Summit. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was asked to assemble a "Tribute Video" for today's Celebration of Nigel's life & work. A few days ago I met his nearest relative, cousin Sarah, and it was then I passed on your condolences.

I knew nothing of his Blogs and his Fodor chats until a week or so ago when I was trawling the web for images and so on that could be used in the Tribute video. I'm very glad to have met you all here - you became his new family (after his personal family, from whom he was largely very separate, and his Theatre Family, some of whom remained very close for decades.)

Just reading all your engagements with him, and his with you all, was a wonderful experience.
He was such a "solo" soul, as you know, but he clearly valued the love and support you gave him in his final travelling years. As much as he was a 'grumpy' loner, his blogs show him to value the families he was part of. Being adopted, and discovering that only in his early 30s, put him in a strange space - he realised he didn't know who he was (ie his blood heritage) but we can see from his Blogs and chatroom engagements that he found a way to embrace his adopted family, and the other adopted family (all of you) he discovered in his later years.
So, thank you all. It's clear you made his last few years such a pleasure, picked him up when he was down and so on. Good on you, as we Aussies say.

Now - I was concerned his Travel and Family blogs did not disappear due to his no longer maintaining them, so I explored a bit and found a great free program called GetLeft that allowed me to download all his blogsites onto my hard disc - and access them normally, as an archive, without an internet connection. I tell you this because the total disc space needed for the more than a dozen Triffitt blogs (including all the pictures) is less than 60Mb - so, if any of you travellers wants to take his writing with you when you are venturing out of internet range - this is one easy way to do it.

More later when I've uploaded the second Triffitt YouTube video

wattz (aka Tony Watts, Otways11@bigpond.com)

Tony,

Thanks for letting us know your connection to Nigel. If you need photographs from his "Fodors" friends of our GTG then do let us know. I have a few, Carol (simpsonc510) and a few others have pictures of our meeting with him.

And.. thanks for the youtube video!

Good on YOU, wattz, for showing up here and connecting dogster's virtual friends/fans to those in Nigel's real life.

I had thought about what would happen to the blogs when the domains expire - so glad that someone is watching over them.

And thanks for posting the youtube video. Not exactly the persona I pictured from his writings, but many terrific quotes about creativity and growing older from the self-described "benign tribal elder."

"I don't have the need to be controversial anymore," he says. Maybe not in his career, but dogster unleashed that controversy here in his travel writing, and we all were treated to a smart and funny deconstruction of the in-the-box tourist route.

Thanks Crosscheck. I'm also glad I've connected the two streams of his life.
re The Blogs: given Wordpress is a free service, I suspect the blogs will just stay in place as they are, but just in case not, I thought it best to archive them. There will be some discussion among family and friends about the possibility of publishing (some of?) the content in book form - but as Nigel says somewhere in all that - books might be a dying form and a Web Book of some sort might be the way to go. I will keep you informed on that one.

And Hanuman - yes, I'd really appreciate you (and any other travellers) sending me some Nigel travel photos - email to me at Otways11@bigpond.com and I'll forward them on to his family and friends.

Here's the second YouTube instalment - as noted, please respect the copyright matters in this one - ie watch but don't copy!

http://youtu.be/-gbKjXJmhL8

tony

OMG @ minute mark 5:11 there's Nigel in younger days! Quite a different bloke from the guy I've met both his looks and the way he talks. Thanks Tony and I'll send you my pictures ASAP.

Tony, I will search my photo folders and get some sent off to you in the next few days. I'm flying today so will not be on line for an extended time. But certainly within the next couple of days, I can get some photos emailed.
Carol

Thank you for sharing these videos with us, wattz.

What an amazing video, what an amazing man.

Oh, I so enjoyed these, especially the keynote address excerpts.

The only improvement would be if the scoundrel himself would post, revealing that staging his own sudden death was all a delicious hoax and a fitting crowning achievement to his creative career. If only...

Thanks, wattz.

Thank you Hanuman for those photos. I've forwarded them to Nigel's family & friends. It was good to see Nigel looking so relaxed and happy in those pics.
And to Carol, Kathie, nanabee & myra, I'm happy I could share a little of his Celebration with you. The Celebration yesterday was a great event - the theatre jammed to the ceiling (of course!).
Here are some words from an email I received last night about it - Nigel's final glowing review ...

"It was brilliant- a wonderful audience full of laughter- tears-sadness- joy- amazement of his many achievements in his life. The dvd was brilliant- a beautiful celebration for the man.

- the speakers were all superb- the paper plate and streamer throw were a fabulous finish."

The audience throwing paper plates and streamers was the way Nigel's big breakthrough show - Secrets - ended. If you want a way to say Bon Voyage to Dogster - he'd enjoy you doing that.

Thanks again for all your kindnesses to your dear friend and our dear friend, Nigel Dogster Triffitt

tony

Wattz, good on YOU mate! thanks sooo much.

ps i love the "complete pain in the arse" at 1:17 on the first vid.

BTW, funyy we should be marking the youtube with the time. In one of my India posts, i referred to something on youtube in that way, and Dog wrote back wondering what on earth that meant!!

wattz - thanks so much for the vids, especially since I didn't get to meet dogster in person. Loved the flying bus, and it was cool to get to see a clip of Tap Dogs.

fodorites - I just looked for dogster's very first thread here, on Bhutan, and couldn't find it. Do you know if he took it down, or did the editors prune his older TRs?

Tony,

I've met dogster 8 or 9 times since he loves to stop by or visit Bangkok. There are more photos and even video clips if I can ever find them I'll forward more.

thursday, is this what you're looking for?

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/dogster-bhutan.cfm

Thanks Marija. It's been a while and I was thinking it was an actual TR.

I just spent 45 minutes scrolling through the list of dogster's posts and couldn't find it. I did remember it wasn't titled a trip report, so I asked that it be flagged as such since you found it, Marija. Thanks!

Hanuman, can we, please, see those photos?

OK Marija will and I am sure that dogster will not mind now. Will post link when they are uploaded.

Marija,

I am still trying to search for those pictures taken in 2011 but I might have lost the hard drive that I kept them in, my house was flooded last year. If I find them I'll update you.

http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/Dogster/25043713_jjn3Cd

Password = "Fodors"

Thanks!

I could not get your link to work, Pook. I put in the password but it just 'bleeps' and does nothing.

It's case sensitive - Capitol F - lower cased odors

is that less offensive than upper case "odors."

Yes, thanks for the pics!!

I too enjoyed seeing the photos. Thanks.

Was absolutely shocked to hear of the dog's passing. I had sent him an email earlier in the year to come cruising with us as he had mentioned he wanted to do this particular one (Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia) but didnt hear from him. Then heard here of his health issues and absence.

I have enjoyed his banter here over the years and on cruise critic where his posts were immediately deleted.

Like everyone I have been reading the posts and parts of his blogs!

Thanks for the pics and all the links & anecdotes.

It occurred to me that the Dogster probably found it refreshing & liberating to have a place where no one (or few) his Nigel identity, exploits & achievements. Not that there's any indication of inhibition elsewhere (!) but you know what I mean, I'm sure.

What an interesting & talented man. He certainly didn't "die with the music still in him", even if there were more tunes to be played on that fiddle.

Thank you so much for the photos.... I so enjoyed his writings... it's nice to see the person they emanated from. He doesn't look like the person I imagined..... but the more I read now the more fun it is with the real image.

I really need to try to set up a smugmug or other type of account so I could post the Christmas party photos of dogster with my family and friends (2 years in a row) at the local bar, Pickled Liver. There were party hats and decorations and smiles abound!! I've sent these photos to Tony in any case.

I just saw this today and gasped. So, so sad. He was by far my favorite writer here. RIP.

RIP Dogster. I haven't been in Fodors much in recent years so when I read about Dogster, I suddenly thought of Neil_Oz. I searched this forum and saw the thread on Neil's cyber wake. So we are 2 down.

Actually 3 or more down Cilla. Gpanda is another one who I missed!

Hanuman I meant from downunder. I remember Gpanda's passing. Wrote his name on a tile for a temple roof in Samui.

I've uploaded a third video from Dogster's Tribute last Monday. This one is a photomontage prepared by his friends Andrew Hanson and Winston Appleyard.

http://youtu.be/w1qcT3K1vhM

And to have all the links in one place for you, here are the other two again

The Tribute Showreel http://youtu.be/-gbKjXJmhL8

Triffitt Speaks! http://youtu.be/JuOXpOeLB8U

There is one more to come - the video of the whole Tribute Celebration for those who have asked to see it.

tony

Thanks, Tony.

Tony. Thank you so much for this.

Mary

A lovely tribute. Thank you!

Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Tony.

Tony, your sharing these wonderful videos/photomontages with us is so wonderful. They are superbly done. We will toast our friend Dogster at the upcoming GTG's (Get ToGethers) from Boston to Bangkok.

He would chuckle knowing that we all just found out about each other : )

That's our Dogster for you.

BostonHarbor, I was just thinking the same thing - he would get a kick out of his worlds colliding. Thanks, Tony.

Just found this blog post from someone who attending the memorial:
http://birdwiththegoldenseed.blogspot.com/2012/08/nigel-triffitt-and-theatre-of-impossible.html

It's my pleasure to share them with you.
The GTG toastings are a splendid idea, but to do it in true Dogster Celebration style, you all need to raise the glass, speak the toast, down the drink, then hurl a large number of paper plates and streamers into the air.
You'll see what I mean when I'm able to post the final Dogster Celebration video on YouTube.
tony

Just floated a candle on the Ganges for dogster.

cheers

A candle is nice but a quick dip might have been better...

Maybe the fact that crosscheck didn't get dragged into the Ganges by the giant dog is another indicator that dogster is watching over her on this trip.

Yes, someone indeed was watching over us, not just keeping the giant dogs away but also providing solutions for high water lever issues. Just arrived home after a magical journey - stay tuned for trip report.

Welcome home. We look forward to the TR.

Hiya pal -
Looks like I am more than a bit late for sending bon voyage wishes your way...but I sense you will snatch them out of cyberspace somehow even though the party apparently has long since been over.

Should have figured something was up when there was no reply to my last email sent your way but honestly just thought the dastardly dawg had just gotten you involved in another of his, ahem, situations.

Much love and good wishes for your grandest of adventures. No doubt it will be EPIC. A cruise on the river Styx maybe ? Ha! Would love to read about that one on Fodors.

Areverderci mate.

For those holding their breath, sorry for the delay, I've only just received the full dvd of Dogster's Tribute / Farewell in Melbourne. Some processing for me to do then I'll deliver to YouTube and post the link here. A few days more.
wattz

So glad you haven't forgotten us, wattz. We (gratefully) await the video.

Thanks so much, wattz. I found this tribute to Nigel written by his agent, who was his frequent travel companion.

http://hilarylinstead.com/?p=25

She mentions Fodors, and also quotes dogster's touching message to Gpanda, posted by Marija in this thread.

Crosscheck, what a wonderful thing to run across on the web. Thanks for sharing it with us.

R.I.P. Dogster

I often pop back for a read of his posts. I was shocked and saddened to read this.

What a truly great man.

His advice was very useful for our family trip to India but, his reports and posts were even better, I have had many a laugh and a cry too having spent so much time reading Dogster's stuff.

Thanks to all Fodorites who take time and trouble to write. Must dash, off to Rome in a couple of days for a week.

Here we are at last - with the three parts of the recording of Nigel's "Farewell" in Melbourne.
Each part is around 30 minutes - so open a bottle, toast the Dogster, and enjoy.

These YouTube items are "restricted" (ie not 'public') because of some content copyright but it is fine to pass on these links to whomever you think might appreciate viewing the event.

Nigel Triffitt - A Celebration of his Life and Art

part one http://youtu.be/ewyJMC6mURM

part 2 http://youtu.be/-sh2C--2wcM

part 3 http://youtu.be/2guaHKyvu5

Happy travelling to you all

Tony Watts

Oh dear - sorry Dogster - the previous YouTube link for part 3 is incomplete, a copy and paste error.

Here they are again - correct this time, I hope.

Nigel Triffitt - A Celebration of his Life and Art

part 1 http://youtu.be/ewyJMC6mURM

part 2 http://youtu.be/-sh2C--2wcM

part 3 http://youtu.be/2guaHKyvu5I

Thank you for this gift. I've watched part one. . . there are no words. Tomorrow, perhaps I will find the old wooden box and watch part two.

Beautiful

Thank you, wattz. With this, you've brought all of Nigel's far flung families together. All that's left is to embrace the ghost.

Just screened Parts 1&2. Wow. Very personal, powerful, somewhat mindblowing, what he would have liked. An award-winning shaman - who knew? Would have loved to be on that trip.

Embrace the ghost: done!

I just watched part 1, will save the others for later. Thank you so much, wattz, for sharing these with us.

Thank you Wattz for posting these. I am on my way to Oz and hope that exhibit is still on in Melbourne. I am also so glad to learn that he did indeed have many friends, despite his denials.

Wow, I'm really stunned. I had to re-read the headliner and then wondered if it was just a silly joke...I can't believe it. I had to create a new acct so I could remark on the man.

I'm so happy Dogster was kind enough to meet me in the lobby of that hotel I was staying in a couple years back. I developed a good repoire with him over the years here on Fodors, despite my naughty behavior. We had a good chat over a nice cup of cappuccino...I admit to being a little nervous as I had never met any online friends before, but somehow the Dog made me genuinely feel like a friend. We had a good talk. I felt flattered that he made the trek over from his hotel in his frail condition (although, at the time I didn't realize that he had any physical issues). A really great guy. I'm going to miss him much here. I felt that I connected with him on many levels. I hope his travels go on, beyond our little blue dot... R.I.P. Dog- never thought you'd leave us so quickly. Will miss you more than you know. Your friend, Mango7

Many thanks, Wattz. I watched Part One last night, and loved it, especially the poem - it was a poem, right?

I won't have time to see the rest before I leave for South America tomorrow, but hope to embrace them, and spirit of dogster, on the road. Where better?

Mango, I am sorry that it was this event that got you back to post here, but glad to see you here. You have been missed.

Thanks so much for the nice thoughts, EMD- missed u too! Been a long time.

Mango, you've been missed here! Hope you'll stick around.

Thank u, Carol, Likewise! I was just reading your last trip report. Will u be there end of November? Looks like my trips there will be solo as of 6 months ago!

Forgive me, Dear Dogster, for hijacking your thread!

Just learned this most distressing news. I knew he'd had some health problems involving PAD and had surgery, but didn't know he was in a life-threatening situation. He was in India at the same time I was in late 2009, struggling then with mobility problems. Then he had a run-in with contaminated roast chicken during a subsequent trip to India. His TR about that was removed for some reason.

He was always kind to my requests for info, never condescending. We shared a common love of India. Here's the first post of his I ever read:

"Dogster gets drunk and books a trip to India" by dogster

It was a wonderful introduction!

He was planning a cruise for us all, then dropped off the board. I thought he was banished for some reason.

Thanks, Marija, for all the info about him you've assembled. I deducted from his TR that he was in the performing arts. I'm glad he made millions doing what he loved!

Sigh, I do miss him. I was thinking about him yesterday when I was looking at some India options for our next trip.

Indiana, his trip report containg the incident of the deadly chicken was removed (or a portion removed) at his request, as he realized he had revealed too much about his identity for his own comfort. He did plan a "Love Boat" crusie, but once all the arrangemnts were made, there were not enough people to do it.

His last few trips were ocean cruises, so he was not available to post as much. But he was no banished.

As self appointed dogster historian, I present his explanation of the removal of the chicken- of death- thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/where-are-dogsters-topics.cfm

Miss him.

Marija, you're a genius with that search function. This thread not only illuminates the Dog Days of Fodors, but also has some priceless quotes from gpanda, like "Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean that they are not out to get you."

He was a treasure. I wonder if he knew how much he was loved.

I was on Dogster's e-mail list. About six months ago I got an e-mail informing me that his book had become available That's when I learned his name. Does anyone know if the book can be purchased in the US? I was always struck by the beauty of the photos he used to illustrate his wonderful narratives.

Surely you don't think that dogster publshed a paper book with stagnant words and images that couldn't change at the author's whim? Only now are they both at peace.

So it's an on-line publication only? I was hoping I could get a copy to peruse.

Oh dear oh dear. I just happened to take a look at the Asia board for the first time in ages. Looking for Dogster, of course. And I find this. My heart stopped.

This was a very sensitive man. A lot of us sort of fell in love with him. I shared some personal e-mails when he was being stalked (electronically hacked) by some Fodorite who felt slighted by him. He never meant to insult people, but he wouldn't suffer fools. It's tough in this world for people like him. And true artists are difficult to live with. I know.

Anyone know how he died, what his illness was? Unlike American obits, which give the cause of death, other cultures don't. Maddening to me, who always wants all the info.

Hi Leslie, The cause of death is not listed in the obits, but there were references to his illness at his memorial:

part one
http://youtu.be/ewyJMC6mURM

part 2
http://youtu.be/-sh2C--2wcM

part 3
http://youtu.be/2guaHKyvu5I

Sad news indeed, LA. Several days ago I saw the Jayavarman on the Mekong. Really wish we all could have "cruised."

Dogster was found dead in his home. Don't know if they figured out which of his many medical problems was the primary cause of death.

Thanks crosscheck. I started viewing his memorial but couldn't go on after hearing his sister. Lost both my parents recently and, well...I'll go back to it eventually. I would hate to think his travels contributed to his ill health. He clearly had a bit of a good time in his life, though, so three cheers for a life well lived.

Marija, I too wished we could have cruised. It would have been great fun and I would have liked to meet you. My husband and I plan to book an Irrawaddy cruise probably next year. (I wish I could have gone before the hordes arrived. We're building a money pit right now, so we'll see. I'll catch up on your great trip reports soonest.

So sad to read this. I was just looking for the latest Dogster tale and found this instead. What a great writer and fun spirit - may he rest in peace.