A ride in a New Jersey cab is responsible for the death of one of the world’s most brilliant mathematicians. On Saturday afternoon, John Forbes Nash Jr, 86, and Alicia Nash, 82, were ejected from the taxi cab while on their way home for Newark International Airport.

“Mr. Nash, and his wife, Alicia, 82, were killed when the taxi they were riding in lost control and hit a guard rail and another vehicle,” said Sgt. Gregory Williams of the New Jersey State Police.

Apparently, the taxi had been trying to pass the other vehicle but the driver lost control of his car. While the cab driver and driver of the other car only sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Mr. and Mrs. Nash were expelled from the car and pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Nash was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 2001 film ‘A Beautiful Mind’. The actor tweeted that he was ‘stunned’ by the death of Nash.

Widely regarded as a genius, Nash served as a senior research mathematician at Princeton University for many years. In 1994, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on game theory. His insight into human rivalry, known as the Nash equilibria is considered to be one of the most important ideas of modern times.

“John’s remarkable achievements inspired generations of mathematicians, economists and scientists who were influenced by his brilliant, groundbreaking work in game theory, and the story of his life with Alicia moved millions of readers and movie-goers who marveled at their courage in the face of daunting challenges,” said the president of Princeton University Christopher Eisgruber.

Only days ago, Nash was awarded a prize by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters in Oslo. He and his wife had left the US to receive the honor and had only just returned. New York University mathematician Louis Nirenberg, who had also gone to Oslo, had been talking with the couple just before they had gotten a cab.

“We were all so happy together,” Nirenberg said. “It seemed like a dream.”

There are no criminal charges filed against the taxi driver at this time.