Professor Richard Scolyer
Professor Richard Scolyer would probably be a bit embarrassed by the fuss, but his death last weekend headlined the news on the Monday night and eclipsed the King’s Birthday Honours coverage.
As testimony to his scientific legacy as a world leader in melanoma research and pathology, the news reverberated around the world, covered by leading public broadcasters such as the BBC and medical news sites such as OncoDaily.
Social media, a platform he had embraced to share his experience as a patient with glioblastoma, was awash with messages from distinguished colleagues, scientific and community organisations, MPs across the political spectrum, the Sydney Swans, Parkrun Australia and everyday Australians.
The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that Australia had lost one of “our brightest lights and one of our biggest hearts.”
“As the joint 2024 Australian of the Year, Professor Scolyer took his place in the national spotlight with determination and purpose as he very publicly dealt with his glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer,” he said.
“Every day, this remarkable man – the cancer specialist who became his own subject – took us into his confidence, and he lifted us all in the process.”
Cherished colleague
Professor Georgina Long, his co-director at the Melanoma Institute Australia and co-Australian of the Year in 2024 for their melanoma research, said in a statement that she had lost a “cherished colleague”.
“Richard was a truly extraordinary pathologist – the ‘pathologists’ pathologist’ – who also made generous time for clinicians navigating complex diagnostic cases, understanding that an accurate tissue diagnosis was critical to patient care. His knowledge was vast, his skill exceptional, with an unparalleled eye for accurate tissue diagnoses, and the precision to apply decades of experience where it mattered most,” she said.
“He shared his expertise widely – through consultation on external specimens, through diagnostic and classification frameworks now used worldwide, and as a devoted teacher and mentor. Richard has left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of working alongside him.”
Final farewell
But it’s his own words that perhaps best reflect the make of a man who captured the heart of the nation during his three years living so publicly with glioblastoma including as patient zero for the world’s first trial of neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy.
In an open letter he penned to be released on his death, he called on his research and clinical colleagues to stay “inquisitive and brave and keep striving to break new ground.”
He asked for the government and the wider community to keep funding science and medical research and encouraged cancer patients to consider enrolling in available research and clinical trials.
“Perhaps the greatest lesson to come from these last three years is that cancer does not define us. It may be the current road we are travelling, but it is not our entire journey,” he wrote.
“A terminal cancer diagnosis does however provide clarity as to what truly matters. It shines a spotlight on the importance of relationships, on true friendship and on selflessness.”
“If my legacy was to continue beyond these words, I would be delighted and humbled to be remembered as a proud everyday Aussie who “gave it a crack”, and in doing so, inspired others to pursue their dreams and passions with humility, love and compassion.”
Professor Scolyer AO passed away on Sunday, 7 June 2026 at age 59. He will be afforded a state funeral at a date still to be determined.
The editorial team at the limbic who have benefitted from Professor Scolyer’s expertise and generosity with his time, send our condolences to his family, friends and close colleagues.
Read the 2025 case study of Professor Scolyer’s novel treatment for glioblastoma and early results, published in Nature Medicine. [link here]
Read the book Brainstorm (Allen & Unwin) by Professor Scolyer and Garry Maddox for more insight into his life.
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