Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died on December 16th at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. His matchless prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, when he was named contributing editor.