UK's top UFO expert dies aged 60 as wife says 'my heart is breaking'

The UK's top UFO expert, Nick Pope, has died aged 60 after being diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal cancer, his heartbroken wife has announced. The former Ministry of Defence official ran the Government's UFO Project - dubbed Britain's "UFO Desk" for three years in the 1990s, working on some of the most high-profile sightings and cases.

This included investigating the case file of the Rendlesham UFO incident, known as Britain’s Roswell, which occurred in 1980. His wife, Elizabeth Weiss, announced his tragic passing on Monday (April 6). “My heart is breaking. Nick passed away this afternoon at our home," she said in a statement. “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."

The UK Government's UFO Project, managed by the MoD, also known as the "X-Files Desk", ran for over 60 years before closing in 2009. It documented thousands of sightings, with around 95% deemed conventional misidentifications and 2-3% remaining unexplained. Thousands of files are now public at the National Archives.

Once a report was made, Mr Pope's team would then begin assessing the potential impact on national security and aviation safety. He said the number of sightings is much higher than most people realise, estimating they received up to 300 a year on average.

While he was bound by the Official Secrets Act, he often shared a rare glimpse into a world of classified files and unknown technology. Once asked which case stands out, he confessed: "The file on the Rendlesham Forest incident still keeps me up at night".

In December 1980, US Air Force personnel reported strange lights and a metallic craft in a forest near RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk at around 3am. Witnesses, including Sgt. Jim Penniston and John Burroughs, reported finding ground depressions and broken branches. Col. Halt reported increased radiation levels on the second night. Sgt. Penniston claimed to have encountered and touched a craft, reporting that it was warm and had hieroglyphic-like markings. Conventional explanations suggest a meteor or a military prank.

Mr Pope revealed his devastating diagnosis with a heartbreaking social media post in February. He wrote: “A while ago, following some digestive issues, I was diagnosed with oesophageal 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.

“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.”