Within the last year or two a celebrated reader of commercial audio
books - regarded by many as the finest reader of them all - passed
away, but I can't remember his name.  Dose anyone know it?

Hi pdq2,

I believe the answer is David Case, a noted performer of more than 700
audiobooks who died in October 2005.  For information about Mr. Case,
see:

"Golden Voices: David Case"
Audiofile
http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/gvpages/case.shtml

"David Case, 73, Dies; Actor in Audio Books," by Adam Bernstein (October 5, 2005)
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401728.html

If my answer is not the person you were thinking of, please let me
know, so that I may do follow-up research.

- justaskscott


Search strategy --

Searched on Google for combinations of these terms:

"audio books"
audiobooks
obituary
"frank muller"
"lynne thigpen"
died
"passed away"
"david case"

I wonder if you might be thinking of Frank Muller, who has been called
"the world's best reader" and "the world's foremost audiobooks
narrator." Muller's career ended abruptly when he suffered a serious
brain injury in a motorcycle crash in 2001. As word of the accident
was spreading, some bloggers erroneous reported that Muller had died.

Frank Muller's official website:

http://www.frankmullerhome.com

No, the man I am thinking of definitely died within the past year or two.