James D. Watson, who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for the discovery of DNA’s double‑helix structure, died at age 97. Watson’s model, developed with Francis Crick and informed by Rosalind Franklin’s X‑ray data, launched modern molecular genetics and fueled decades of biotechnology innovation. Watson’s legacy is complex: he transformed scientific understanding and institutional science—serving as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory director—while later comments on race and intelligence prompted institutional censure and removed honors. Obituaries and scientific retrospectives note both his scientific achievements and the controversies that shadowed his later career.