NOTE (12/11/05): This post was written last night after I received the tragic news, but as today is the day of Steven's funeral, I'm moving this to the top of the blog, where it will stay all day to honor him.

I just received the saddest personal news in the history of this blog. (I'm afraid I can't do this subject justice in a post, but I have to write something, awkward and difficult though it is. So bear with me.)

Via an email from his twin brother, I have learned that Steven Malcolm Anderson died suddenly of heart failure on Sunday, November 27, at a hospital in Bellevue, Washington.

I'm in a state of shock, as I had no idea. I'd been missing Steven's comments over the last ten days or so -- wow, I now see that his last comment was on November 27, the day he died.

As I replied to his brother, even though we never met, Steven was more than a friend to me. His comments were more than comments, and I considered him to be a sort of de facto co-blogger. (I can't tell you how many times his comments were longer than my posts, and better!) While I hadn't yet complained, it was depressing lately that Steven wasn't around, but I didn't bother him because the last time I thought Steven had disappeared, it turned out to be a computer problem. I even wanted to take up a collection to buy him a new computer -- that's how much Steven meant to me.

For now, I am putting the world, the blogosphere (and all appropriate deities) on notice that Steven's glorious spirit -- his style! if I can borrow his favorite word -- will always be part of my blog. I'll do my best to keep him alive, and I'll never forget him. I'm just now starting to grieve, and this is exactly like losing a close friend. The fact that I never met him physically changes nothing; if anything it makes me regret not having met him even more. I had a standing offer to get together if he ever came East but he never did.

Few human beings are possessed of such joyous exuberance, such charm and wit, such knowledge of history, and such brilliant humor. Truly, the world is a worse place for his passing. Mine certainly is.

Regular readers know Steven, and they've even been asking about him. Like commenter Arisotmedes, I too had been waiting for Steven's fix on Coco's cosmic snow circles.

What would Dawn and Wanda say?

Now I'll never know.

I could fill an entire book with the guy's innumerable comments, and I just might put them all together in his honor. Hell, they weren't comments; they were essays! (Steven wrote over a thousand comments just this year!)

This isn't just a loss for me; it's a real loss for the blogosphere.

I'm just starting to grieve, and I'm lucky no one can see me cry.

Miss you, Steven!

MORE: Steven's favorites, Dean Esmay and his wife Rosemary -- the Queen Of All Evil -- express their shock and condolences in a very touching manner. Please go visit them and read the many touching comments. Steven would insist.

One of the last things he said here was, "I admire Dean
For marrying the Queen. I admire the Queen For marrying Dean."

As Rosemary said, "All Hail and Mourn Steven Malcolm Anderson."

I'm borrowing her flag in his honor:

Requiescat in pace, Steven.

MORE: Via a comment at Dean's World, I found Steven's official obituary. Excerpt:

He read voraciously and was an expert in many fields, including mythology and comparative religion, philosophy and political science, and color theory. He wrote highly creative and original fiction. He was a long-time, confident computer and Internet user, and fully exploited the latter, not for shopping (other than for books) or entertainment, but to participate actively in a world-wide community of thinkers and writers who became devoted friends. He charmed all who knew him with his gentle kindness, modesty, humor, erudition, and wisdom. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 11, at Beck's Funeral Home, 405 - 5th Ave S, Edmonds, WA 98020. (425) 771-1234. We will share memories and stories that celebrate Steven's life. If you cannot attend, please send your memories, pictures, and tributes to Beck's Funeral Home or to sma@3dmdev.com. An enduring memorial is being created at steven.malcolm.anderson.name. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Steven's name to the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, or the American Heart Association.

UPDATE: Sean Kinsell (who's extremely busy) has taken time from a short break to remember Steven:

I wish him an eternity of pho, lesbians, and good loving from his pantheon of goddesses. RIP, big guy.

MORE: Mary Madigan remembers Steven as "Scholar, writer and one of my favorite commenters at Dean's World."

MORE: Mark at Urthshu shares his memories:

probably one of the funniest, most prolific commenters on Dean's World & Classical Values, amongst many other blogs. You didn't always know where he was coming from, but he always said it with style, certainly.

Gonna miss that guy.

MORE: Over at Dean's World, I see that IndustrialBlog, The Glittering Eye, and WILLisms are all remembering Steven.

So is Bloggledygook:

SMA was one of those whose writing spoke of his intelligence and humor, not from self-aggrandizing, but from its pure lucidity and purpose. He will be greatly missed.

I never met the man and all that I knew about him was what he wrote, but I feel that I have lost a friend.

How is it that I feel so bad about a man I never met? Many authors, actors, and performers that I knew have died. What was different about Steven? I suppose it was that I didn't just read what he wrote, but responded to him, and he would sometimes respond to me. We interacted, even if only through the comments at Dean's World. We were aware of each other, not merely as a collection of written ideas, but as living souls.

Rest in Peace, Steven Malcolm Anderson.

MORE: And at Postive Liberty, Jonathan Rowe remembers, and thanks Steven. (Jonathan, of course, was one of Steven's nominees for the Supreme Court.)

AND MORE: Gay Orbit's Michael Demmons remembers Steven as a frequent commenter, and adds,

My heart goes out to Steven’s family.

I don’t know what to say. This is very upsetting. I will miss Steven.

MORE: Not Exactly Rocket Science remembers Steven. So does Mark Noonan at Blogs for Bush!

And here's Bryan of Arguing with Singposts who frequently disagreed with Steven:

While I disagreed with 90 75 percent of what he said, he said it with panache, and you could tell that he was intelligent and well read. He will be missed.

Paul Burgess remembers Steven as

"a true conservative and a true original, and a man of honor and deep integrity." He and I shared an interest in certain rather esoteric writings, such as Goethe's Theory of Colours, and Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West. He will very much be missed.

UPDATE (12/15/05): Danny at Carnival of Tribute (whose specialty blog -- "A roundup of obituary tributes in the blogosphere" -- I found at InstaPundit) has honored Steven Malcolm Anderson with post.