Bill Goggins, RIP

Tim Cavanaugh | July 31, 2006

I'm sorry to report that William O. Goggins, longtime deputy editor of Wired magazine, died yesterday. The 43-year-old journalist collapsed of heart failure while running the San Francisco Marathon.

One of my countless career regrets was that I turned down a great offer from Wired back in the late nineties in order to keep chasing the white lady of a big dotcom ripoff. Bill was very cool before, during, and after that fiasco, and was a reliable good-time guy and great conversationalist. I always enjoyed hanging out with him. His writings for Wired are pretty sparsely represented on a quick Google search, but here's his complete Suck archive, my favorite of which is this Jack-Kemp-is-gay chestnut. I'll miss Bill.

Comments

|7.31.06 @ 2:17PM|#

That's awful. Has San Fran been having the same kind of excruciating heat we've been having in the northeast? I did a 5K yesterday and a guy dropped not 50 yards from the finish. He was a young guy too.

My condolences.

|7.31.06 @ 3:14PM|#

I think about this kind of thing about once a week while I'm running, usually around where my friend's dad died at about the same age and in the same situation. RIP Bill and the other young seemingly-healthy fallen runners.

Jennifer|7.31.06 @ 3:16PM|#

That is far too young. I'm sorry.

|7.31.06 @ 3:36PM|#

I should clarify that the guy I saw did NOT die -- he just collapsed. They were dowsing him with water and summoning the paramedics by the time I got to him.

Either last year or the year before, at the same race, an oldtimer collapsed after finishing. He worried me because he went completely white. But they watered him down and got him up again.

It's just that time of year where you have to watch out because the heat can smack you around before you know it.

Mike Laursen|7.31.06 @ 4:42PM|#

San Francisco did have a heat wave about a week ago, but it had passed by the time of the marathon.

And, please, it's San Francisco or The City, not "Frisco" or "San Fran." :-)

|7.31.06 @ 4:49PM|#

And, please, it's San Francisco or The City, not "Frisco" or "San Fran." :-)

Yeah, you people are WAY too persnickety about the name. I've seen people explode over the use of "Frisco." I'll just keep calling it what I always have: Gay Bay.

Mike Laursen|7.31.06 @ 7:42PM|#

Yeah, I know. I was trolling.

I don't even live in San Francisco. I live in one of the nondescript suburbs that San Franciscans look down upon.

|8.1.06 @ 10:58AM|#

How did SF get to be "The City", anyway? I know the Warriors used that logo on their uniforms for one season, but the cool factor that must have represented wasn't enough to keep them from moving to Oakland. London's financial district is "The City." Rome, in classical times, was "The City." As someone who grew up 60 miles from Times Square, New York - more specifically, Manhattan - was "The City". Did some marketing trendmonger dream it up as a slogan, like New York's "Fun City"? At least that had the advantage of being easily turned into an irony-stick for beating the likes of Lindsay about the head and shoulders.

Kevin

Mike Laursen|8.1.06 @ 2:34PM|#

I suspect transplated New Yorkers are the ones who started calling San Francisco, "The City". Manhattan is the only town in the United States that has the chops to contend with San Francisco for the title.

|8.1.06 @ 4:28PM|#

It's funny. Those of us who grew up in the suburban counties of southern New York State, northern New Jersey or western Connecticut might refer to "going into The City" if we were headed to any of the five boroughs. When our cousins who were NYC residents but lived at mundane addresses in Brooklyn or Queens said the same thing, they meant they were headed for Manhattan. Compares to "I'm headed downtown" for most people living within other American towns' city limits.

Kevin

|8.1.06 @ 8:31PM|#

Bill was my daughter's "boss" at her current job at a small, startup magazine in SF. I've been running marathons, and later triathlons for 35 years and seen more than one death during that time. I was very, very sorry to hear about Bill, for many reasons. He was a good man from what I understand. My condolences to those of you that knew him. As a fellow runner, I hope his passing was in a moment of grace, doing what he loved.

|8.1.06 @ 9:55PM|#

My condolenses to Wired . I met bill twice he was a friend of my sisters.

|8.1.06 @ 10:46PM|#

I had been moaning and complaining about the progress of my recocery (I had back surgery two weeks ago), when I happened upon the article about Bill. I knew him earlier in his journalistic career; we were both cub reporters for the Tamalpais High News back in the late 70's. Bill was a very good friend back in those days - and even then knew the value of ethics and compassion. He was one of those kinds of guys who could have been a real jerk if he had wanted to be, and maybe could have been more popular, but, to him, being a friend to all was far more important. Plus, he was one of the few guys my age who could match me in a battle of wits!

I last saw Bill a few years ago when I was bartending at the Paradise Lounge. He was as gregarious as ever, and, although he had less hair, the head it was on was sharper than ever. People like William O. Goggins are all too rare in this world, and he will be sorely missed by many, and I know I will never forget him. Bravo Bill!

|8.2.06 @ 2:05AM|#

"And, please, it's San Francisco or The City, not "Frisco" or "San Fran." :-)"

I've lived in San Fran for 40 years I was born here the only people I know who have a problem with "frisco or San Fran" are people who moved here.

|8.2.06 @ 2:05AM|#

"And, please, it's San Francisco or The City, not "Frisco" or "San Fran." :-)"

I've lived in San Fran for 40 years I was born here the only people I know who have a problem with "frisco or San Fran" are people who moved here.