We are sad to report that Erik Wright has passed away after a courageous fight against sickness. His legacy in social science is enormous. His lifelong work on real utopias was an inspiration for the creation of the IPSP and he has helped this group from the beginning, as a member of the scientific council and as coordinating  author of Chapter 21  of the report. His contributions will be sorely missed in the future, but the inspiration he provided will stay.