John Berthoud (photo by Doug DeMark), originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

My friend John Berthoud passed away at the young age of 47 today. It is an extremely sad loss for the National Taxpayers Union, which he headed since 1997, as well as all the friends and colleagues whose lives he touched. He died of natural causes at his home.

The death was particularly shocking for me because I saw John just last night at the premiere of “The Call of the Entrepreneur.” Although I didn’t get a chance to talk to him last night, we did chat last weekend at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, where he was speaking on a panel about tax policy. He was so excited about a big party he was throwing at his house this Saturday night with more than 100 guests.

I first met John when I was working at Human Events. He would frequently write for us about taxes and spending, producing great copy and never turning down a request to help. Ever since then, John was always kind to me, even inviting me to speak at the National Taxpayer Union conference in Washington this summer.

Robert Stacy McCain of the Washington Times put together a nice story about John and NTU released this statement:

We are sorry to announce the passing of John Berthoud. As you may know, he has led both the National Taxpayers Union and National Taxpayers Union Foundation over the last 11 years. We have looked to him as a strong leader, compassionate friend, and a fierce fighter for freedom.

Pete Sepp, Vice President for Communications, shared his surprise, “John Berthoud’s death today was as sudden as it was shocking and saddening to all who knew him. His colleagues found him in peace at his home today. All of our staff, just as the entire policy community in Washington, are doing the best they can to cope with an irreplaceable loss.”

We give our sincere condolences to his family and friends and hope you will pay tribute with comments to our blog and facebook group. Sepp continued, “John was a true 21st century Renaissance man. He was a teacher, a mentor, a respected intellectual, and a lover of life. That’s what makes his passing all the more tragic.”

Though we mourn the loss of a man and celebrate his amazing life filled with love, study, travel, and leadership, his cause and a hope for a brighter future lives on. We will press on with purpose and be thankful for his contributions to our own journeys.

Several friends have memorialized John on his Facebook page. Matthew Vadum even created a Facebook group in his memory. Elizabeth Terrell encouraged others to leave comments about John on NTU’s Government Bytes blog.

My heart goes out to John’s family and his co-workers, many of whom I know. Please keep them in your prayers.