Nick Pope, the former UK Ministry of Defence official who ran Britain’s official UFO investigation desk from 1991 to 1994, has passed away. He was 61. His wife Elizabeth confirmed his passing on Facebook today.
Pope announced his Stage 4 esophageal cancer diagnosis on February 12, 2026. He continued working until weeks before his death, completing interviews from home even as his health declined.
Before becoming the UAP community’s most recognized media voice, Pope spent 21 years as a civil servant at the MoD. His three years investigating UFO reports gave him a credibility that most in this field could never claim. He investigated Rendlesham Forest, found radiation levels at the landing site were significantly above background levels, and never fully explained away what he found.
The media called him the real Fox Mulder. He preferred to call himself a public servant who took the subject seriously when almost no one else with a government badge would.
In his farewell statement he wrote: “I hope I’ve helped move the needle forward.”
He did.
What secrets did Nick Pope carry that will now never be told?