http://news.aol.com/story/_a/adventurer-fossett-declared-dead/20080215192109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001 (http://news.aol.com/story/_a/adventurer-fossett-declared-dead/20080215192109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001)

Adventurer Fossett Declared Dead

CHICAGO (Feb. 15) - A judge in Chicago has declared millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett legally dead, five months after his plane disappeared over the Nevada desert.

http://www.aolcdn.com/aolnews_photos/02/02/20080215192809990010

Steve Fossett
Millionaire adventurer
April 22, 1944 - Feb. 15, 2008

Fossett vanished in September after taking off in a light plane, and a long search produced no trace of him.

A Cook County judge heard testimony Friday from Fossett's wife, Peggy, and a family friend as well as a search-and-rescue expert before deciding there was sufficient evidence to declare him dead.

Fossett earned millions of dollars trading futures and options on Chicago exchanges.

Attorneys representing his estate had filed a petition to have him declared legally dead so his assets could be distributed according to his will.

Fossett was a record-setting balloonist, sailor and pilot who completed nonstop flights around the world.

He lived a full life. It's sad, but at least it didn't end in a hospital bed in lingering pain.

RIP. You are now living the greatest adventure. :wave:

I was really hoping by some miracle they'd still find him alive. Well, at least he died doing what he loved.

I was really hoping by some miracle they'd still find him alive. Well, at least he died doing what he loved.
Same here. It's amazing that they haven't found his body or the plane. A lot of the reader comments on AOL were speculating that he staged his own death. Ridiculous. It's a terrible shame, although Fossett had a real zest for life.

By the way, I love your avatar. Simply adorable. Opie/Howard was one cute kid. Good actor too. I watched the episode recently where he does everything in his power to avoid going to a school dance because he can't dance. His Dad goes as a chaperone, and he can't dance to save his life, and takes the heat off of Opie. Andy Griffith and Ron Howard had some touching scenes on that show through the years, and it was nice watching Ron grow up before our eyes.

How's that for off topic? :lol:

R.i.p

By the way, I love your avatar. Simply adorable. Opie/Howard was one cute kid. Good actor too. I watched the episode recently where he does everything in his power to avoid going to a school dance because he can't dance. His Dad goes as a chaperone, and he can't dance to save his life, and takes the heat off of Opie. Andy Griffith and Ron Howard had some touching scenes on that show through the years, and it was nice watching Ron grow up before our eyes.
Thanks. Yeah, I hadn't seen that picture before and I thought it was too darn cute to pass up. :)

Here you go. I love the big version. :)

By the way, are they giving a reasoning of why Fossett would have staged his own death? It doesn't seem plausible to me either but I wondered what their reason for saying that was.