John Forbes Nash, Jr., 86, was with his wife Alicia Nash, 82, when the taxi they were riding lost control and crashed onto a guard rail at the New Jersey turnpike. They were ejected from car, suggesting that they weren't wearing seatbelts when the accident happened, according to CNN. Both died.
The driver of the taxi, Tarek Girgis, meanwhile, was rushed to the Robert Wood Johnson hospital for treatment of his injuries and he is reportedly expected to recover. The passenger of another car, which was also hit during the crash, was transported to a hospital after complaining of neck pains.
The elderly couple was reportedly going home after arriving from a trip in Oslo, where Nash was bestowed an award from King Harald V, according to the Independent.
The police are still investigating the accident and no charges have been filed as of press time.
Following the news, celebrities and prominent personalities who have worked with the mathematician shared their sentiments regarding the deaths.
Actor Russell Crowe, who portrayed Nash in the movie, immediately posted a message on his Twitter: "My heart goes out to John & Alicia & family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts."
Ron Howard, who directed the film, also posted his tribute on his Twitter: "RIP Brilliant #NobelPrize winning John Nash & and his remarkable wife Alicia. It was an honor telling part of their story #ABeautifulMind."
Meanwhile, scholars at Princeton University, where Nash was associated, also released a statement honoring their colleague. Christopher Eisgruber, the president of the university, said as reported on ITV.: "John's remarkable achievements inspired generations of mathematicians, economists and scientists who were influenced by his brilliant, groundbreaking work in game theory. The story of his life with Alicia moved millions of readers and moviegoers who marveled at their courage in the face of daunting challenges."
In 1950, while barely 30-years-old, Nash published the "theory of non-cooperative games," which facilitated in the identifying of tools used for different competitive situations. Economists, behavioral scientists, social scientists and other experts in related fields have relied on Nash's ideas in their various work for many years.
Nash married Alicia Larde, an M.I.T. physicist in 1957, but two years following their marriage, he displayed paranoia and delusion, and then underwent treatment at a psychiatric ward, according to The New York Times. The couple divorced in 1963, but remarried in 2011.
In the 1990s, the Nobel committee began looking into his work for a possible recognition, and by then, his illness had already subsided.
"I emerged from irrational thinking, ultimately, without medicine other than the natural hormonal changes of aging," he apparently wrote to a friend in 1996, according to The New York Times.
