Mister Rogers has died of stomach cancer. One of my older brothers met him through work, and said that he was exactly like his televsion persona. He will be badly missed.

UPDATE: National Review Online republished a year old piece on Mr. Rogers by Michael Long:

Here is the secret of Mister Rogers: He says exactly what he means and exactly what is true, and he says it for the consumption of a single, simple audience: children. He does so without regard to adult opinion of how old-fashioned his simplicity makes him appear. He is so committed to kids that he spends no time adjusting his performance to affect his profile in the popular culture of adults. He is, therefore, out of our time. Jarringly so.