Kim Peek, RIP

I've just learned that Kim Peek, the savant that inspired the 1988 movie Rain Man, died on Saturday of a heart attack:

Peek was born on Nov. 11, 1951. At 9 months, doctors said he was severely mentally retarded.

"They told us we should institutionalize him because he would never walk or talk," Fran Peek said. "But we refused to do that."

By 16 months, Peek demonstrated extraordinary abilities. He could read and memorize entire volumes of information.

"He could find anything he wanted to. He read all of Shakespeare, the Old and New Testaments," Fran Peek said.

An MRI later showed that his brain lacked a corpus callosum -- the connecting tissue between the left and right hemispheres. Peek said his son's brain lacked the normal filtering system for receiving information. The condition left him able to retain nearly 98 percent of everything he read, heard or watched on television. The average person only retains about 45 percent.

As both a child and adult, Peek's favorite place was the library, where he devoured books at a confounding rate. At the time of his death, Peek is believed to have committed at least 9,000 books to memory. He could recite so many gigabytes of facts that people often called him Kim-puter. NASA made him the subject of MRI-based research.

Link

We've featured Kim Peek, the Real Rain Man on Neatorama before, in our post 10 Most Fascinating Savants in the World.


Aw man, very sad. I actually got to meet him once. I used to work behind the security checkpoint as a bartender at the Columbus airport. He and his father came thru the checkpoint one day and the TSAs called me over to show me something. And there was Mr. Peek and his father coming through security. I got to hold his Oscar award that he had received for the inspiration of Rain Man which he apparently carried with him everywhere and shake hands with his father.It was a really neat experience. I'm sad to learn he has passed.
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I am deeply, deeply sad to hear about Kim. He was a truly amazing human. My heart goes out to his family. My son is severely Autistic who can only manage a few words. I wish he had a small percentage of what Kim could do, he's still a great kid though. RIP KIM.
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Kim was an inspiration, so was also his incredible father Fran who stood by him his entire life. I'm not particular religous, however I recognise what I call an Angel as I'm presented to one. I wish him peace and joy as he travels among us a little bit further in life.

So sorry for your loss Fran. You and your son both inspired me deeply!
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