Allen Stern, a blogger and a great human being passed away this last week, according to an update from his sister. The cause of death is not clear. I learned this when I woke up early in the morning. It wasn’t how I wanted to start my day and it has sent me into a deep funk.

Stern was a stand-up guy and always spoke his mind. He never took to fools and as a result always found himself defending those who couldn’t defend themselves. I met him once, briefly at a Techcrunch 50 event, but we were internet friends and often exchanged Facebook and Twitter messages. He was always in good cheer, ready to share a moment of sadness and spread the happiness. As a fellow Yankees fan, he and I would often talk baseball during our exchanges. The world just got a lot less nicer because of this one subtraction.Give heaven a taste of your heaven. Allen, you will be missed by me and thousands of others whose life you touched.

PS: My colleague Mathew Ingram has collected thoughts and comments of others who are equally saddened by the passing of this young man.