Martin Fleischmann Dead at 85

New Energy times is reporting that Martin Fleischmann has died at his home in Tisbury, U.K. He had been suffering from diabetes and Parkinson’s disease and had been in poor health for a number of years.

Fleischmann, Professor of Electrochemistry at the University of Southampton, England became world famous in 1989 when he and his associate professor Stanley Pons announced to the world that they had achieved a cold fusion reaction in experiments at the University of Utah, and set off a firestorm of media attention. Following the announcement, Pons and Fleischmann’s claims were subjected to intense scrutiny, and after some attempts to replicate the Fleischmann and Pons experiment were unsuccessful, there was a huge backlash against the two professors who became effectively outcasts from the scientific community.

The Cold Fusion/LENR has continued, thanks to the efforts of a few dedicated and persistent researchers in various parts of the world, and today there has been a resurgence of interest. Andrea Rossi states that his interest in the cold fusion field began with the announcement of Pons and Fleischmann, yet he was unable to replicate the cold fusion effect. Nevertheless his interest led him to try new methods of experimentation until he came up with the formula that he now uses with the E-Cat.

Martin Fleischmann’s posthumous legacy will likely be far greater than in his lifetime. His work has sparked a slow-burning revolution that seems to be ready to ignite.

[UPDATE] I thought I would add this comment from Vicky Harvey here, in case it got buried in the comments section below:

Martin Fleischmann was my grandfather. He was such a clever man and such an inspiration to us. I think that my family are planning on sending an obituary to The Guardian if this is any help to you all. Its great to see people do recognise him and his work.

See below for the news conference that started it all.