Mathematician John Nash, the troubled genius at the heart of the film A Beautiful Mind, has been killed in a car crash alongside his wife, Alicia.
The couple were traveling in a taxi on the New Jersey Turnpike on Saturday, when the driver lost control and crashed into the guard rail. They were on their way back from a trip to Norway, where Nash had just been awarded the Abel Prize for mathematics with his colleague Louis Nirenberg.
Nash, 86, had a long and successful career as a mathematician, winning the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994 for his work in game theory. His work influenced many fields, from military strategy to accounting, although he is best known in the public eye as a result of the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. Starring Russell Crowe, the biopic focused on Nash’s struggles with paranoid schizophrenia.
In their later years, John and Alicia Nash publicly advocated for better mental health care, after their adult son was diagnosed with schizophrenia as well.
Crowe has already passed on his condolences on Twitter, along with many others mourning the loss of Nash and his wife.
Stunned…my heart goes out to John & Alicia & family.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) May 24, 2015
An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts. https://t.co/XF4V9MBwU4
RIP John Nash – a founding father of modern game theory and inspiration for A Beautiful Mind. Sadly Professor Nash died in car accident
— Tutor2u Geoff (FRSA) (@tutor2uGeoff) May 24, 2015
We lost a great mind today, a beautiful mind actually. #JohnNash, you will be missed but your greatness will always be remembered #RIP
— Gabe 🏴☠️ (@GOsejo9) May 24, 2015
https://twitter.com/TheSchenktank/status/602484287250784256
President Eisgruber says "we are stunned and saddened" by news of the deaths of Princeton mathematician John Nash and his wife, Alicia.
— Princeton University (@Princeton) May 24, 2015
RIP Brilliant #NobelPrize winning John Nash & and his remarkable wife Alicia. It was an honor telling part of their story #ABeautifulMind
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) May 24, 2015
According to a spokesperson for the Middlesex County prosecutor’s office, no charges are expected to be filed.
Photo via Economicforum/Wikimedia (CC BY SA 2.0)