Passage: Robert Atkins, 72

Dr. Robert Atkins, creator of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that bears his name, died Thursday. Atkins did not recover from a head injury he sustained when he slipped on an icy sidewalk on April 8. Atkins' best-selling diet books promoted a diet high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates as a sure way to lose weight. "It's not that it needs to be low calorie. As long as you cut out the carbohydrate, the weight loss is automatic," Atkins said. Studies over the years have both disputed and confirmed Atkins' theories, and many mainstream dieticians remain skeptical about the Atkins Diet.