Rain Man Dies

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 10:20 pm

Rain Man Dies, Kim Peek, the man who inspired the 1988 comedy-drama film Rain Man, has died. He was 58.

Kim had suffered a major heart attack on Saturday (December 19) and was pronounced dead at a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Over the years, Kim has inspired a lot of people. He had mental handicaps but scientists and researchers called him “a mega-savant” because he could memorize and recite huge amounts of information on various topics. However, simple tasks like dressing himself or setting the table eluded him.

Kim’s astounding gift to retain knowledge inspired Barry Morrow to write Rain Man, the Oscar-winning movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.