Well known political commentator and newspaper columnist, Linda S. Heard, is no more. She breathed her last in Cairo, Egypt after a brief illness, on Monday.
A master storyteller, Linda, 69, specialised in Middle East, writing trenchant political analysis and articles over several decades. She was also an avid traveller who lived in many countries like Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Lebanon, Spain, Thailand, UAE and The UK.
“We are truly sorry to hear the passing of Linda Heard, who was a Gulf News columnist for many years. She had a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Middle East and her columns reflected that insight. Her articles for the opinion section of Gulf News were well read. Linda’s readers will miss her articles. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and pray that they get the strength to overcome their loss,” Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor in Chief, Gulf News commented.
“Linda was one of our core columnists — in a list of brilliant people — who strive to explain and make sense of the world to our readers on regular basis. For more than 15 years, she never missed her weekly deadline. She was punctual, committed and keen on giving our readers the information and analysis that mattered. We will miss her dearly,” Mohammed Al Mezel, Editor at Large, Gulf News said.
Apart from her sharp and incisive political and social commentary on the region, Linda was a champion of animal rights, going out of her way to rescue and care for Egypt’s stray animals.
She is survived by her devoted husband Adel Ramadan of over 40 years.