Robert Jordan has been fighting amyloidosis, a rare blood disease, for the past year. I won’t bore you with a long eulogy. USA Today has a nice, pithy summary of his writing.
I will say that Jordan and Tolkein are the two reasons why I even bother to read high fantasy. Without either of them, I would have remained a science fiction purist. I owe Jordan a sincere debt of gratitude for broadening my horizons and showing all of us how a world could be built.
I will entertain no lamentations about how the series will never be complete. The important thing is for his friends and family to experience a time of mourning and rememberance without being bothered by legions of fans distraught for the wrong reasons.
Requiscat in pace, Robert Jordan. I hope you found heaven.