John Nash Jr., Subject of ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ Dies in Taxi Crash at 86

Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., subject of the 2001 Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind, and his wife Alicia Nash were both killed Saturday when their taxi crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike. He was 86. 

John and Alicia, 82, were passengers in a Ford Crown Victoria taxi when their vehicle attempted to pass a Chrysler and hit a guardrail, a New Jersey state police officer told The Hollywood Reporter. The incident occurred in the southbound left lane at mile marker 72.4 in Monroe Township.

John and Alicia were both ejected from the vehicle, the officer said. The taxi driver sustained non life-threatening injuries, and the driver of the other vehicle was treated for back and neck injuries.

John was an instructor at MIT and earned the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994 for his work in game theory, sharing the award with two other mathematicians. He was born in Bluefield, W.Va., and attended Princeton University. 

John and Alicia married in 1957 and had a son, John. The couple divorced in 1963 but remained close before remarrying in 2001.

He was portrayed by Russell Crowe in director Ron Howard‘s A Beautiful Mind, which focused on Nash’s struggles with schizophrenia. It earned four Academy Awards, including best picture. Alicia was played by Jennifer Connelly, who earned the best supporting actress Oscar for the role.

Crowe, Howard and producer Brian Grazer expressed their condolences Sunday on Twitter. “Stunned…my heart goes out to John & Alicia & family,” Crowe tweeted. “An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts.”

Howard wrote, “RIP Brilliant #NobelPrize winning John Nash & and his remarkable wife Alicia. It was an honor telling part of their story.” Grazer added, “Incredibly sad to lose the wonderful, intelligent miracle of John Nash and his wife.”

Crowe, Howard and Grazer’s tweets can be read below.

Stunned…my heart goes out to John & Alicia & family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts. https://t.co/XF4V9MBwU4

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) May 24, 2015

RIP Brilliant #NobelPrize winning John Nash & and his remarkable wife Alicia. It was an honor telling part of their story #ABeautifulMind

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) May 24, 2015

Incredibly sad to lose the wonderful, intelligent miracle of John Nash and his wife. #ABeautifulMind… https://t.co/wz8wzfEVqP

— Brian Grazer (@BrianGrazer) May 24, 2015

Email: Ryan.Gajewski@THR.com
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski