Professor Richard N. Frye, preeminent Iranologist who contributed immensely to the study and knowledge of Iranian history, language, and culture worldwide, especially in the U.S., passed away yesterday. 

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, to a family of immigrants from Sweden, "Freij" had four children, his second marriage being to an Iranian-Assyrian scholar, Dr Eden Naby, from Urmia, Iran who teaches at Columbia University. He spoke fluent Russian, German, Arabic, Persian, Pashto, French, Uzbek, and Turkish, and had extensive knowledge of Avestan, Pahlavi, Sogdian, and other Iranian languages and dialects, both extinct and current.

He and his wife Eden Naby were also teaching in Afghanistan´s schools and Universities (Daneshgah-e Kabul o Daneshgah-e Balkh and Habibia School in Kabul).

Frye first attended the University of Illinois, where he received an AB in history and philosophy in 1939. He received his MA from Harvard University in 1940 and his PhD from Harvard in 1946, in Asiatic history.

Frye served with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. He was stationed in Afghanistan and traveled extensively in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.

He returned to Harvard to teach. He was a member of the Harvard faculty from 1948 until 1990.

Related Blog published in the iranian.com dated 3 Aug 2010:

EMINENT PERSIANS: Iranologist Richard Frye at Reza Shah's mausoleum (1970's)

Frye's Official website:

Richard Frye's Official Website