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Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times crossword and “puzzlemaster” on NPR, is recovering from a stroke he suffered on Feb. 4.
Shortz, 71, announced the news Sunday in a recorded segment on NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday.” He usually hosts the program’s Sunday Puzzle segment.
“Hey guys, this is Will Shortz,” he said. “Sorry I’ve been out the last few weeks. I had a stroke on Feb. 4 and have been in rehabilitation since then, but I am making progress. I’m looking forward to being back with new puzzles soon.”
Greg Pliska, who formerly worked on NPR’s “Ask Me Another,” has filled in for Shortz on the radio since Feb. 11.
“I know I speak for the whole puzzling community in wishing Will the best,” Pliska told “Weekend Edition” host Ayesha Rascoe on Sunday. “He has been a great friend to me for many years and as much as I love playing the puzzle on air with you Ayesha, I look forward to getting to play from home with you and Will again in my Sunday morning pajamas.”
Shortz has been the New York Times crossword editor since 1993. He is only the fourth person to ever hold the position.
He has also been part of “Weekend Edition Sunday” since it launched in 1987, rarely missing a week on the Sunday Puzzle, according to NPR.
Shortz designed his own major in enigmatology, the science of puzzles, at Indiana University and graduated with a degree in 1974.
“I want to maintain the quality and intellectual rigor of the crossword,” he recalled saying in his interview for the Times position. “But I would also like to bring in young contributors, fresher themes and more modern vocabulary.”
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