Friday, September 22, 2006

The sad news.

Adam Starchild passed away earlier today. His name is not one familiar to many libertarians. What he did was more behind the scenes than in the limelight. But if you google his name you will find countless books he authored on maximizing individual financial freedom. He was a key figure in the "perpetual travel" movement. And he wrote extensively on living in foreign countries and investing abroad.

His death came just day after his 60th birthday. He had several medical problems that seemed to hit him all at once. He went through several surgeries and was also in the process of moving to Spain. In June he underwent experimental surgery for a tumor in Japan. He wrote me: "The story of my tumor and its treatment became a cause of Japanese national television, who filmed everything, and the operating room was full of TV crews as well as surgeons. All of this got me a fantastically high level of care, and help." He was flying home to Panama when he became ill. He finally got home to Panama. Only after arrival did he learn his partner's permit to move to Spain had come through and he and his partner made the decision to move immediately. He felt his medical care would also be better there.

He was supposed to go back to Japan for more surgery but stayed in Madrid because he was not well enough to travel. But emergency surgery seemed to do the trick for him and he wrote the operation was success but it would be slow recovery. But more surgery followed and he got worse. His partner, Javier, wrote that "Part of his dream was to get to Europe and we accomplished that. He fought till the very end but the last week was just too painful for him." Javier wrote: "I hope to have some words to spread out there so that we can keep him close and so that people cn remember that his life meant something, that he was a great man."

Adam was a lifelong libertarian and a Life Advisory Member of the Libertarian Futurist Society. He was a life member of the International Society for Individual Liberty, Mensa, the World Future Society and others. He was a former chairman of the Confederation of American Indians. He leaves behind his partner Javier, many friends, many books and enough ideas to fill a lifetime.