Yesterday we learned that ϳԹ contributor Matthew Power, 39, died while reporting a story for Men’s Journal in Uganda. He’d been on a weeklong trip, accompanying the British adventurer Levison Wood, who was attempting to walk the length of the Nile River. According to police reports from Ugandan authorities, Matt collapsed and died quickly.
In a statement released by Men’s Journal, Wood and the other expedition members said they believed he succumbed to heatstroke, though a definitive cause of death won’t be known until an autopsy is performed in Kampala.
Matt wrote many stories for ϳԹ, from criticism to essays to reported pieces from far off places. His most recent was the story of Jairo Mora Sandoval, a sea turtle activist who was murdered in Costa Rica. Matt approached the story in his usual fashion: he heard the news and jumped on a plane.
Matt was a fearless and compassionate journalist who did terrific work. He was tough but treated his story subjects with the utmost respect. Journalism is worse off, and our hearts are broken.