Becky Troutt let me know earlier today that John Mudd quietly passed away of natural causes last month and it is confirmed on one of his blogs. An article from his local newspaper gives some more details.

[photopress:John_Mudd_1.jpg,full,alignright] John Mudd has had a huge influence on my style of blogging. He was the first to key me into the importance of building up a personal brand through blogging. While not always explicit, his actions (like the fact that he appeared to be in every online real estate discussion) showed me that the most important way to play in the game was simply to show up. However, he did a lot more than just show up. Inside the blogging community he was opinionated and passionate, two great qualities for a real estate blogger. In addition to blogging, I’ve seen his writings appear all over the place: from trade magazines, to other blogs and given a little more time, I’m sure he would have completed the real estate blogging book he was writing.

When I read over the interviewed him I did with John last December, I can’t help but remember just how big the John Mudd presence loomed over real estate blogging when I first began writing. He was everywhere and it seemed like he knew everyone. In my mind, he will always be The Original Real Estate Blogger.