Kim Peek, the man whose life was the basis for the movie The Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise died this weekend at his home in Salt Lake City. He was 58 years old.
At nine months old, doctors said he would be severely mentally retarded. By 16 months he demonstrated extraordinary ability, he was able to read and memorize entire books. It is estimated that Kim Peek read 9,000 books in his lifetime. Kim peak was able to retain about 98% of everything he heard, read and watched; while the average person retains about 45%.
Over the past several weeks, he had been suffering from an upper respiratory infection, and retaining water and had gained about 30 pounds. He suffered a heart attack Saturday morning, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
NPR's Howard Berkes reported:
Kim "had severe mental handicaps but reportedly remembered everything he read and heard. Peek had difficulty with simple things like turning on lights or dressing himself, but his memory was legendary. Give him a date and he'd describe its events. Name a place and he'd name the zip code. He reportedly memorized every word in 9,000 books."
Howard said that the Rain Man "made Peek so famous he traveled the globe, displaying his talents as the real 'Rain Man.' NASA studied him because his memory got better as he aged. And in the end, his memory was sharp but his heart gave out. Kim Peek's father says his son died this weekend of a massive heart attack at his suburban Salt Lake City home."
He will be missed.
Sources: Associated Press and the Salt Lake Tribune
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Comments
I had the honor of meeting this man last year and he totally amazed me. The world lost a great man on the 19th of December. Rest in Peace Kim.
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