Just heard about this - I think he probably gave a lot of us our first taste of authentic Chinese martial arts. And lets not forget his writing on Judo.

From Michael Demarco of Journal of Asian Martial Arts.

Robert W. Smith [born 1926] passed away the evening of July 1st. He was a noted martial art researcher, writer, teacher, and practitioner. He was the author and co-author of 16 books and numerous articles dealing with the fighting arts. His work no doubt touched many martial artists regardless of style.

Over the years, we published ten articles by Mr. Smith in our Journal of Asian Martial Arts.

"Fifty Years in the Fighting Arts - Interview with Robert W. Smith" is an encompassing piece by Russ Mason.

In addition, I worked closely with Mr. Smith to publish his last book, Martial Musings - A Portrayal of Martial Arts in the 20th Century. It records insightful details associated with Smith's years of involvement with combatives in the U.S. and overseas. He was a gifted writer, and could austutely couple combatives with literary panache, and a ready wit.

It was a blessing to work with him and to get to know the real person. We met in New York city, helping with a production of the documentary "Martial Arts - The Real Story," which appeared on the Discovery Channel. He was friendly, cordial, and certiainly humorous.

We wanted you to know of Mr. Smith's passing as it marks an end of an era. His life will continue to inspire many. If you wish, you can view a humble tribute to him on [the Journal of Asian Martial Arts] FACEBOOK page.

I wasn't a fan of his writings. RIP

I think Mr. Smith was an exceptional storyteller, and like most people back in the day, his books were my first introduction to much of the history of Chinese martial arts.

When I had an opportunity to actually meet several of the teachers profiled in his works, it was all the more interesting to me since I'd read about them since I was a kid.

I thank Robert Smith for making some of my experiences even more meaningful than they otherwise would have been.

May he RIP.

I learned a lot about chinese martial arts through his books.