RIP Keith D.

[lovecraft68]

Several years ago I discovered Keith D's real name mostly because, well, he gave a lot away, and I'm a sneaky bastard.

I didn't put a lot of effort into researching him when the 'hope all is well' thread said he hadn't posted since July as I was caught up in my wife's situation. As the thread popped back up today I looked up the obits in his town and found him.

I don't know if it would be the right thing to do, linking his obit here, but I can tell you there is no doubt in my mind. The name I had, the right age, and the obit lists his service in the government, theatre experience, and publishing/editing company.

He's survived by his wife, son and daughter.

I feel like the harbinger of doom at this point because I also announced TX Rad's passing.

Keith and I had a rocky relationship here, that ranged from downright nasty years ago to more like teasing and ball busting more recently, but beneath it all we respected each other, especially when it came to publishing, he defended me in a thread some months ago in regard to my success in the selling market, and I'd always credited him with his vast library both on and off lit. We both understood the work and tenacity that went into that type of effort over a period of time, and his much longer than mine.

Another of lit's old guard has fallen and although I wouldn't say he and I were friends, its obvious his presence, expertise and to me, his snark will be sorely missed. Its not easy to find good frenemies these days.

RIP SRplt71-as I still see him as-you left one hell of a mark here, and you certainly weren't cheated in the full life you led. Well wishes to his family.

 

[Voboy]

Thanks for doing the legwork. I was afraid this would be the outcome.

RIP, Keith. He didn't like me very much at one time, but that never really mattered to me. He was a great Litster.

 

[HordHolm]

Thanks for letting us know. I think we were pretty sure.

As for his obit... I think that if he had wanted us to know his identity he would have told us, and perhaps his anonymity should be respected.

 

[StillStunned]

His absence has left a hole here that only his presence could fill.

 

[Duleigh]

Keith and I had a rocky relationship but there was always respect. He was a good man.

 

[SimonDoom]

I appreciate you letting us know.

KeithD wasn't the easiest Hangout member to get along with, but he was one of the most valuable, and he was also one of the most prolific authors the Site has ever had. He and I had our share of testy communications, but I learned things from Keith that have greatly added to my experience here and to my skill as an author.

Seems like he had a long and interesting life. RIP, KeithD.

I agree with what others have said: if you know his identity, out of respect I think it's better not to disclose it or link to the obituary.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Sorry but not surprised to hear that news.

He was prickly but always interesting and worth listening to, even when I disagreed with him. I learnt a lot about evoking a sense of place from his stories.

I thought I'd figured out his identity once and warned him he might have given himself away, but he said he was amused at the coincidence of name and denied it was him, so I reckon he should stay a mystery. Maybe I'll trip over his published works one day.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

RIP @KeithD

 

[Bramblethorn]

Thanks for letting us know. It's no secret that he and I weren't friends and I'm not going to pretend otherwise, but from what he posted he was having a pretty rough time of it this year medically, and that's not something I'd have wished on him.

 

[NoTalentHack]

Damn. Thanks for letting us know.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

RIP Keith. Condolences to all your family and friends.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

I'm sorry to hear of his passing. He and I had some heated moments. Very heated moments in both directions. But I always appreciated his presence here. I knew him back the as SRplt71, and that's how he'll remain in my memory.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

Rest in peace, Keith. My condolences to your friends and family.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Thanks LC.

When I started on Literotica back in 2015/2016, Tex, KeithD (SR71PLT back then) and Ogg were all really helpful to a total newbie, and I had some great offline chats with all of them over the years. I knew KeithD was getting on a bit and had had a few health problems and I messaged him a while ago just to tell him how much I valued his help and his (virtual) mentoring and the exchanges we've had over the years. We didn't see eye to eye on some things, but the nice thing was we could both put that aside and chat about everything else, including writing, and I'm glad I managed to share all that with him before he passed away.

He had some great stories about SR71's and life in SE Asia in the Cold War days and he gave me a lot of help on one or two of my stories with background info. He sure got around and if ever there was life well lived, it was his.

RIP KeithD, you were one of the best.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Thanks for letting us know. It's no secret that he and I weren't friends and I'm not going to pretend otherwise, but from what he posted he was having a pretty rough time of it this year medically, and that's not something I'd have wished on him.

Yeah - I chatted with him back in early June, asking how he was, and he said then he'd had some health issues but it was old age catching up on him. Going to miss him

 

[THBGato]

He was prickly but always interesting and worth listening to, even when I disagreed with him. I learnt a lot about evoking a sense of place from his stories.

Yes, exactly. He didn't mince his words, yet his opinions were born of vast experience, and for that I respected him. RIP

 

[jomar]

Thanks LC. I always found him to typically make sense with reasoned arguments. But his prickly and sometimes pissy tone often got in the way of his message. I know I mentioned that to him way more than once over the years, lol.

RIP KeithD, your contributions will be missed.

 

[AchtungNight]

Moment of silence for a guy I never knew but who obviously meant a lot to many.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Thank you for making this final. It sucks when you know but you still don't know.
As others said, he was often snarky, and I had a difficult start with him. In time, some strange and tenuous mutual respect formed, not love for sure, but recognition and respect, yeah. And I did respect him for standing by his own opinion and not caring who he was going up against. He was no suckup, that's for sure.
I'd say that Keith would definitely have a good chuckle at the fact that @lovecraft68 was announcing his passing and honoring him.

May he find peace and good stories where he is now.

 

[SimonDoom]

Keith was astonishingly prolific. If you add up all the stories published under sr71plt and KeithD, it adds up to 1571, which is the fourth-highest number of submissions in Literotica history.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

Does anyone familiar with his corpus want to recommend a couple of the highlights? Seems like the way to memorialize an author, by reading his work.

 

[SimonDoom]

Does anyone familiar with his corpus want to recommend a couple of the highlights? Seems like the way to memorialize an author, by reading his work.

Many of Keith's stories were in the gay male category, so if that's not your thing they might not appeal to you. He has a distinctive style that makes sense given his background--often from the point of view of an older, sophisticated man admiring a good-looking younger man. Two stories of his that I liked are Amish Honeymoon Cruise, a somewhat oddball tale about an older woman who seduces a young Amish bridegroom who is with his new bride on a honeymoon cruise, and The Forever Man, a collaboration he wrote with another author under the name, if I can recall, Shabu. The latter was a contest winner several years ago.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Thank you @lovecraft68 for doing the legwork and letting us all know; it is much appreciated.

I unfortunately had no real interactions with KeithD, but he was good enough to submit a story to an Author Organised Challenge that I started earlier this year, and I will always be grateful for that. I felt most privileged.

The story he submitted was incredibly impressive, and he was a very, very good writer. And while KeithD always seemed a little, well, misanthropic here in the AH, he was a Boss, and his posts always made me smile.

Very sad news indeed....

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I was afraid that had happened. While I never crossed swords with him, I did read what he had to say here and I think it helped me become a better writer.

 

[Actingup]

re the obituary... is there an option for publishing a Literotica obituary that doesn't out him but includes some of the information that he had shared about himself to paint a picture of the man? I didn't interact with him, but it does seem like a good idea to honour somebody who has given a lot to the online community.