From Don Vance comes this saddest of news:
This is a message that is hard to send. Our friend Mira Slovak passed away yesterday morning at 7:47 AM at his home in Fallbrook, California. He was undergoing treatment for stomach cancer. As you know, Mira and I were like brothers since 1972. Although I will miss him greatly, I am glad he is no longer suffering. Mira specified that there be no services and that he be cremated and buried at sea. He also specified that he be buried in the warm Pacific ocean rather than the cold Atlantic ocean that he spent so many hours trying to avoid while flying over it. It is our ironic that the time of his death was 7:47. The Boeing 747 was Mira's favorite transport aircraft while flying as a Captain for Continental airlines.
DON VANCE