Veteran UFO investigator Nick Pope passed away at his home on the afternoon of April 6, less than two months after announcing that he had terminal cancer. The announcement was made by Pope’s wife, Elizabeth Weiss, in a tweet posted on X/Twitter on the same day.
“My heart is breaking — Nick (@nickpopemod) passed away this afternoon at our home,” Weiss posted. “The last few weeks of his life, even as he suffered, he managed to do a few interviews from home. I was so lucky to have met and to have married Nick. He was a wonderful husband. I loved him dearly.”
Less than two months ago, Pope announced that he had been diagnosed with stage-4 esophageal cancer that had “metastasized to my liver,” and was not optimistic about his chance of survival, stating that he was “afraid my diagnosis and my situation leaves no doubt whatsoever: I can’t beat it.”
Before he became known as a preeminent UFO investigator, Pope had a 21-year career with the UK Ministry of Defence, where he was “involved in subjects ranging from financial policy to counter-terrorism; from military policing to UAP,” according to the February 14 social media post where Pope announced his illness.
It was Pope’s three-year stint investigating UFOs for the MoD’s UFO desk with Secretariat (Air Staff) 2 from 1991 to 1994 that led to a career investigating the phenomenon after he left the government; in that time he became “a regular commentator on TV news shows and documentaries, as well as consulting and acting as spokesperson on various UFO and alien-themed movies, TV series and video games,” adding that “the media called me the real Fox Mulder!”
Over the course of his career, Pope authored numerous books on the subject of UFOs, including his 2014 exposé into the “Encounter in Rendlesham Forest”, and 1996’s “Open Skies Closed Minds”, offering Pope’s insight as a government insider on the UFO phenomenon.
“The things I’ve done; the places I’ve been; the people I’ve met; and the secrets I’ve been privy to,” Pope remarked regarding his work with the MoD in his February farewell tweet. “I wouldn’t have swapped it for the world.
“It’s all been amazing, and I’m grateful for the things I’ve done, not mournful for the things that I won’t now get to do.
“Per Aspera Ad Astra!”
3 Responses
Sad news, A scholar and a gentleman.
In pursuing your passion, you added to our own journey in this genre.
We walk a path in life, i enjoyed the time we spent walking it together
Very sad indeed. Mr. Pope brought a sense of gallantry to his delivery of the UFO subject and made it more believable to some who doubted. He overachieved in life and we can all be proud of him for that.
Whitley, I wanted to send you my condolences for this passing of your friend and colleague. A remarkable man, he contributed so much to this field.