Leftist icon Howard Zinn has passed away at the age of 87. Zinn, a noted scholar and activist, was most well-known for his million-selling A People's History of the United States. The book was a favorite of mainstream figures like Bruce Springsteen and Ben Affleck as well as bands like Propagandhi, Verse and NOFX. He even collaborated with Resident Genius on the 2005 split, You Can't Blow Up a Social Relationship.

A People's History charged Christopher Columbus and other explorers with genocide, picked apart presidents from Andrew Jackson to Franklin D. Roosevelt and celebrated workers, feminists and war resisters. The book was vastly influential throughout the political and academic left. Along with his academic career, Zinn was a pilot in World War II and cited his experiences in that war as sensitizing him to ethical issues.

Our deepest condolences to his friends, family and fans.