It is with great sadness that the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) announces the untimely passing of Professor Pierre D. Delmas in Lyon, France on July 23, 2008 at the age of 58. Pierre Delmas was the Founding President of IOF whose guiding vision helped to shape the organization and the global osteoporosis movement. The osteoporosis community has lost a brilliant researcher, clinician, educator and advocate who was unquestionably one of the most influential and respected thought leaders in the field.