June 11,  2023

It was with great sadness that we heard that Dr. Roger Payne passed away yesterday.

It was yesterday before I heard of his passing when we passed by and filmed a magnificent Fin whale that I had been thinking about Roger. 

I first met Roger in Bergen, Norway in 1977 at the Marine Mammal Conference where I was impressed with his passionate advocacy for the whales.

It was Roger who recorded the songs of the Humpback whales and that recording is now far beyond our solar system onboard the Voyager spacecraft.

He was a friend, a mentor and an inspiration. A kind and gentle man, my former next-door neighbor and a wonderful friend and teacher to my son Tiger.

My deepest condolences to his wife Lisa Harrow and his family.