Host of This American Life, Ira Glass wrote this:

David Rakoff died last night. It was no surprise; he'd been talking about it for months. He even named August as when it would happen. We've watched him get weaker and sicker. But still it's hard not to be stunned. At this moment I don't have anything smart to say, because my feelings are raw and stupid. He was my friend, our friend here at the radio show, and our brother in creating the program, making it into what it's become. We loved him. We'll miss him. We'll put some of his work on the air next week. For now, to remember him, we're posting two favorite stories. The Canadians interview was the second time he was on the show, back in 1997, fifteen years ago. In our recent cinema event, he talked about his illness and, for the last time in his life, danced onstage.