Nick Pope, Explorer of the Unknown
Investigated "The Impossible" for Queen, King and Country; and shared what he learned with the world.
April 6, 2026 was a sad day for ufology and all who care about truth. On that Monday, Mr. Nick Pope died at his home in Tucson, Arizona. His wife, Dr. Elizabeth Weiss, PhD, was at his side.
“My heart is breaking -- Nick (@nickpopemod) passed away this afternoon at our home,” she wrote. “The last few weeks of his life, even as he suffered, he managed to do a few interviews from home. I was so lucky to have met and to have married Nick. He was a wonderful husband. I loved him dearly.”
Mr. Pope had suffered from cancer of the esophagus. He was 60 years of age.
It is no exaggeration to write We the People of planet earth have lost one of the great minds investigating Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Mr. Pope was “expert” in the best sense of the word, providing factual information and honest analysis based on what he saw, learned and knew. His books include “Open Skies, Closed Minds,” “The Uninvited: An Expose on the Alien Abduction Phenomenon,” and “Encounter in Rendlesham Forest.”
In a career that began in service to the United Kingdom’s Department of Defense from 1985 to 2006, Mr. Pope investigated reports of UFO sightings to determine their nature and military significance. After leaving the “UFO desk,” he entered the field of ufology publicly.
Through his work, Mr. Pope helped elevate the subject of UFOs into a respectable field of study. He appeared on numerous “live” interviews on television and radio news, cable television, including the History Channel program, “Ancient Aliens,” on the innumerable and uncounted blogs of the Internet. Always, while keeping to the facts, Mr. Pope also kept the secrets entrusted to him by the DoD.
Through Hardship, to the Stars!
On February 12, 2026, Pope posted:
A Message From Nick Pope:
A while ago, following some digestive issues, I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Unfortunately, it's Stage 4 and has metastasized to my liver. While I know that it's kindness and hope that leads people to suggest healers and supposed miracle cures, and to say things like "fight it", and "you can beat it", I'm afraid my diagnosis and my situation leaves no doubt whatsoever: I can't beat it.
What an amazing adventure I've had! A 21-year career at the UK Ministry of Defence, where I got involved in subjects ranging from financial policy to counter-terrorism; from military policing to UAP. And I saved six cows; it's a long story! The things I've done; the places I've been; the people I've met; and the secrets I've been privy to. I wouldn't have swapped it for the world. And then a second career, where my previous government UAP role brought me to the attention of the world's media, leading me to become a regular commentator on TV news shows and documentaries, as well as consulting and acting as spokesperson on various UFO and alien-themed movies, TV series and video games. The media called me the real Fox Mulder!
The true highlight, of course, is life with my wonderful, beautiful and incredibly smart wife, Elizabeth. She's a real-life Agent Scully: a scientist, a skeptic and a redhead. We met randomly in the lobby bar of the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San José (she was an anthropology professor at San José State University) in October 2010 and got married 3 months later. We applied successfully for my Green Card and she had me shipped over and imported to the U.S., where a new adventure began, as Elizabeth and I enjoyed wildlife watching at our wonderful home in Tucson, desert hikes, film noir, true crime, country music, Sunday lunches with my in-laws, and much more besides. Recently, we had an amazing one-year adventure in New York City, living 5 minutes from Times Square, and having a wonderful view of the Empire State Building from our apartment window.
We proofread each other's books and articles (I love commas, hyphens and exclamation points way more than Elizabeth, and managed to win at least a few of those battles), and I'm supporting her in her ongoing fight for free speech, academic freedom, and keeping political correctness, superstition and identity politics out of science and academia. The White House Press Secretary Tweeted one of her recent newspaper articles, which shows the huge impact she's having.
I kept working for as long as I could (right up until last week), with my various film/TV interviews, conference appearances, and live events, including my position as moderator of Ancient Aliens Live - where I think I did 94 shows. Sadly, the time has come where I've had to step away from this work.
A lot of people have followed my work on UAP. I'm loath to use the word "fans", because I'm not a celebrity. But I am a public figure, and many people have followed me on my journey as I've sought to keep the UAP subject in the public eye, and to frame it as a defense, national security and safety of flight issue - as well as a fascinating science problem. Some of this work has been public knowledge, but some such work, of necessity, has been done behind the scenes. I hope I've helped move the needle forward. But most people, of course, know me through my media interviews and live events. To everyone who's followed me on my journey, thank you - and good luck with your own journeys. I wish you every success and happiness.
It's all been amazing, and I'm grateful for the things I've done, not mournful for the things that I won't now get to do.
Per Aspera Ad Astra!
Nick Pope, Tucson, Arizona, February 12, 2026 (Source)
Hey! What If?
In an article he wrote for BBC Sky at Night magazine, Mr. Pope asked “If we made contact with aliens, what would happen?”
“Contingency planners would probably regard finding alien life as a ‘low probability, high impact’ event, where even if the chances of it occurring are judged to be small, the consequences would be immense – and potentially catastrophic,” Mr. Pope wrote.
His are an excellent question and analysis, like all his public statements, based on what he knew, rather than what he was supposed to think. While we will never see another Nick Pope, we can do all we can to measure up to his example. Brought sadly to think of it, if anyone should know it was Nick Pope.