I had heard that he was having health issues and that a few months ago, had back surgery and was told he wasn't going to get any better and that would eventually be wheelchair bound and he said then that he was afraid he'd become a burden to his wife.
Soda-- what you wrote about him being so kind and approachable makes it even sadder that he got to the point that he was afraid he was becoming a burden.
I admit, I definitely shed a few tears yesterday when I heard this news.