George Emil Palade, universally hailed as the founder of modern cell biology for his many discoveries and insights into the structure and function of eukaryotic cells, died on 7 October at the age of 95. He was pre-eminent among a small group of scientists who, in the mid-twentieth century, first used the electron microscope to study cell structure, developed and refined techniques necessary to observe cells, and introduced methods that permitted the isolation and biochemical characterization of many cell structures.
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Palade was a formidable scientist and a rigorous scholar. He was a man of exceptional qualities, with a wonderful aesthetic sense and a love of art, history and literature. He was kind, generous and always concerned with the welfare of others. He attracted the admiration and friendship of those who had the privilege of working with him. Indeed, he was one of the most loved and admired biologists of the twentieth century.
- David Sabatini in the latest issue of Nature Cell Biology
Also read Gunter Blobel's wonderful essay on Palade that appeared in Nature and my entry from a couple of months back.
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As background knowledge, a good basic review of cell structure here: Cell Structure.