I am shocked and dismayed by the news. The conservative movement and American politics were forever transformed by this brilliant, principled, and multi-talented man. I’m sure that there will soon be a flood of such stories, but I’ll have to say that a well-timed, gracious letter from Mr. Buckley in 1987 or so to a then-stressed student-magazine editor helped cement my own choice of conservative journalism as a career.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.