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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah man who inspired Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Rain Man" has died.
Kim Peek, 58, collapsed at his home in Salt Lake City on Saturday from what his dad says was a massive heart attack.
Kim couldn't do simple things like turning on a light or dressing himself because the membrane that allows the right and left hemisphere to talk to each other was missing.
Kim was a unique megasavant. He was able to recall most everything he read or heard -- from zip codes to historical events -- and he could do it in seconds.
In an unprecedented study in 2004, NASA scientists began studying Kim's brain, hoping to find out why his recall continued to get better, even though he was aging.
Dr. Michael Basse, from the Salinas Valley Memorial Medical Center, said, "I cannot even imagine the depth of what we would see in Kim's brain that would correlate with his unique abilities."
In blog sites now appearing from around the country, people are saying "there never will be another person quite like Kim. His talents were unique and spectacular. And the love and bond between he and his dad Fran was inspirational."
Funeral Services are scheduled next Tuesday.
E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com
