Mandy and Richard Horne RIP

from The Scotsman 11.1.07
"Richard Horne, better known as Harry Horse, and his wife, Mandy, had a relationship that was, according to everyone who knew them, simply extraordinary.
Brought together by a love of music and art, they lived together in a succession of rural idylls, from East Lothian to Loch Awe, before returning to Mrs Horne's native Shetland.
There, they took a house on Burra Isle, overlooking the sea, after the multiple sclerosis that had stricken Mrs Horne began to take its toll, confining her to a wheelchair at the age of 39.
Yesterday, three days after Mr Horne's final work appeared in a national newspaper, the couple's bodies were discovered, lying together in their remote bungalow after an apparent suicide pact.
One theory was that Mr Horne helped his desperately ill wife to end her life before taking his own. It is understood their pets were also found dead.
The tiny island community of Papil, on Burra, was in shock after the discovery of the bodies by paramedics, who were called to the house by concerned relatives yesterday morning.
And last night, as a police investigation began into the double tragedy, friends and colleagues in the media united in paying tribute to Mr Horne, 46, who was hailed as a "unique and irreplaceable talent", and his devoted wife. "

Harry Horse was well known to many in the children's books world through his many delightful picture books.