This news is a bit surreal for me. Yesterday R and I were talking about Updike because we may be in a position to purchase a signed first edition copy of one of his novels. I carelessly mentioned that we should probably purchase said book because Updike is wonderful and he is also old, which means when he dies (I didn’t know he had lung cancer) the book will be worth even more. I believe I said “he’s going to kick it soon.”
Sigh.
Yes. Ahem. I know.
Anyway. Here is the link to the NY Times article:
John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit Angstrom novels highlighted so vast and protean a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism as to place him in the first rank of among American men of letters, died on Tuesday. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Farms, Mass.
Brianna Pike 
John Updike’s passing is sad news indeed… he possessed a truly beautiful mind