The Sh*t L*st

Child Prodigy Poet Dies of Muscular Dystrophy

Mattie Stepanek, 13-year-old poet and advocate for muscular dystrophy patients, died in Washington on Tuesday of a rare form of the disease, a hospital statement said.

Stepanek, of Rockville, Maryland, began writing poetry at the age of three and became a national celebrity in 2001 after publication of "Heartsongs," a volume of inspirational poems.

It was the first of five books of poetry he had published and the first to be listed on The New York Times best-seller list.

Another young poetic spirit extinguished too soon. Will he be the Thomas Chatterton of the Oprah Age, the Rupert Brooke of rare neuromuscular disorders? Only time and panel discussions at future academic conferences will tell.