Oh, cock.
It looks like Brian Jacques is dead. So sayeth the Beeb, here.
The 71-year old author hasn't come up here on The Speculative Scotsman, not as yet, but gather round and I'll tell you a secret: I sincerely believe, were it not for a friendly local librarian turning me on to the Redwall books, I wouldn't have half the appetite for fantasy - nor indeed fiction - as I do today.
So you see he changed the world, a little bit.
You'll be sorely missed, Brian Jacques. Rest in peace.