Russell Crowe leads tributes to 'A Beautiful Mind' mathematician John Nash after he and his wife are killed in taxi crash

 
Tragedy: John Nash (left) was portrayed by Russell Crowe (right) in the film A Beautiful Mind (Picture: Getty)
Rachel Blundy25 May 2015

Hollywood actor Russell Crowe has led tributes to mathematician John Nash, the subject of his film A Beautiful Mind, after he was killed in a car crash.

The 82-year-old Nobel prize winner and his wife Alicia died after they were thrown from a taxi in New Jersey.

The taxi driver is reported to have lost control and hit a rail on the New Jersey Turnpike at 4.30pm yesterday. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries but is said to be in a stable condition.

Mr Nash, a University of Princeton mathematician who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994, was portrayed by Crowe in the 2001 Academy award-winning film.

The biopic depicted his groundbreaking work in game theory as well as his struggle with schizophrenia.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stunned...my heart goes out to John &amp; Alicia &amp; family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&amp;id=222025&amp;p=https://t.co/XF4V9MBwU4" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-40696-https://t.co/XF4V9MBwU4" data-vars-event-id="c23">https://t.co/XF4V9MBwU4</a>— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/russellcrowe/status/602468781911183360" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-40696-https://twitter.com/russellcrowe/status/602468781911183360" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 24, 2015</a>

Crowe, 51, tweeted his shock at the news of the mathematician's death today.

He said: "Stunned...my heart goes out to John & Alicia & family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts."

Tributes were also paid by some of the world's leading academics.

Indian scientist A. P. J. Abdul Kalam tweeted: "Sad at the news of the demise of Nobel winner John Nash.. One of the best minds of our times passes away."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sad at the news of the demise of Nobel winner John Nash.. One of the best minds of our times passes away.— APJ Abdul Kalam (@APJAbdulKalam) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/APJAbdulKalam/status/602526797285052416" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-40696-https://twitter.com/APJAbdulKalam/status/602526797285052416" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 24, 2015</a>

Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said he was "stunned and saddened" by the news.

In a statement, he said: "We are stunned and saddened by news of the untimely passing of John Nash and his wife and great champion, Alicia. Both of them were very special members of the Princeton University community."

He continued: "John's remarkable achievements inspired generations of mathematicians, economists and scientists who were influenced by his brilliant, ground-breaking work in game theory, and the story of his life with Alicia moved millions of readers and movie-goers who marvelled at their courage in the face of daunting challenges."

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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