Portlander Jay Lake was a prolific, Campbell Award-winning science fiction writer and editor, the author of ten novels and more than 300 short stories. When diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008, he made his struggle with the illness public, detailing the effects of treatment on his blog; in his final days, the blog was maintained by his partner, Lisa, who reported his passing on Sunday morning. He was 49.

If you'd like to learn more about Lake's life and work, here are two great places to start:

In 2012, the Oregonian ran a terrific profile of Lake, which focuses largely on his cancer diagnosis and treatment. (One highlight: After a round of chemo caused him to lose his hair, he tattooed his scalp with the words "If you can read this, I have cancer again.")

And yesterday, io9's Charlie Jane Anders wrote a moving and thorough appreciation of Lake's writing career:

Through his writing, Lake leaves an enduring legacy, and his impact on science fiction and fantasy will be felt forever. His work as an editor, helping to publish new voices in the field, cannot be underestimated. His wealth of short fiction, and the novels he managed to complete, will be around forever — and a final short fiction collection, The Last Plane To Heaven, comes out this September. He'll be missed, but he'll also be read.