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Aaron Swartz

A man is silhouetted as he walks on a road during a sunset near the town of Khoiniki, 300 kilometers (187 miles) south-east of the capital Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, March 23, 2011. (Sergei Grits / Associated Press)
A man is silhouetted as he walks on a road during a sunset near the town of Khoiniki, 300 kilometers (187 miles) south-east of the capital Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, March 23, 2011. (Sergei Grits / Associated Press)

I have never heard of him, but his death feels profoundly sad: Aaron Swartz, 26, who co-founded Reddit – a social news website - was also an activist who fought to make online content free to the public, has hanged himself in his Brooklyn home.  

Swartz was to go on trial for allegedly stealing millions of journal articles from an electronic archive at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Some legal experts believe that the charges are unfounded since MIT allows guests access to the documents – and Swartz was a guest.  

A tragic ending to a very bright young man’s life.

(S-R archives photo)

Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.