Man who inspired Hoffman's 'Rain Man' character passes away at 58

London, December 23 (ANI): Kim Peek, who was the inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt, played by Dustin Hoffman, in the movie Rain Man, has died aged 58.

Peek, dubbed as the 'real Rain Man', passed away after suffering a heart attack in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The genius, who was classed as a "mega-savant" and memorised 12,000 books, struggled with ordinary tasks like getting dressed and combing his hair, reports the Telegraph.

Peek's brilliant skills included being able to read one page of a book with his left eye and the other with his right while it took him just eight seconds to read and remember a page.

He inspired script writer Barry Morrow to pen the movie after they met in the early 1980s.

Hoffman, who met Peek during his preparation for the role, later won the Oscar for his depiction of a savant.

Peek's father Fran said: "Dustin Hoffman said to me, you have to promise me one thing about this guy, share him with the world." (ANI)