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It's with great regret that I learned that . Brian, who had pancreatic cancer, passed away on Friday according to . There are tributes from fellow bloggers and . Brian leaves a wife and a young son.

I interviewed Brian back in June. He spoke via mobile phone from his hospital bed, and even in such depressing surroundings he managed to find some humour in his situation. But Brian was never flippant, his blog was more than just an account of illness, it was, in a gentle and unhectoring way, a meditation on life and mortality.

On Friday, I highlighted Brian's blog as part of my picks for Blogday (I'd missed the latest update in the comments). I think Brian would have relished the irony. I hope he's out there somewhere having a good laugh at my expense.

UPDATE: I've added the .