Professor Sir Michael Rutter died on 23 October 2021. He had made an unparalleled and profound contribution to the science underpinning our understanding of the origins and development of psychopathology in children and young people. The unique combination of reforming motivations, intellectual curiosity and commitment to hypothesis-driven science that made this possible are discussed in the editorial for this issue (Sonuga-Barke, Fearon & Scott, 2022). I have recently compiled a systematic and comprehensive Digest of his life’s work – 546 journal papers and 52 books published [https://doi.org/10.13056/acamh.13072]. This Editorial Perspective will summarise some highlights of the main areas of his many scientific achievements.