Goodbye, neighbor
The death of Fred Rogers was definitely a shock, especially considering he was one of the grand marshals at the Rose Bowl. I don't remember hearing anything about his illness at that time, but then again, for the sake of just about everyone (especially the children), it was probably for the better that it was kept quiet.

Mr. Rogers was a regular part of my TV watching as a kid, along with Sesame Street, the Electric Company and later Square One TV. While the others all employed a sort of hipness in conveying their lessons, Mr. Rogers never did and didn't need to. There was something comforting and refreshing about how he did things: the sweaters, the sneakers, the calming voice. Even the entertaining Land of Make Believe had a sense of familiarity to it. Sure it made him ripe for parody (Eddie Murphy's Mr. Robinson on SNL was classic), but it didn't matter. When you read about how he approached life outside the TV show, you realize he was teaching from the heart, that he was genuine. Many people my age learned a lot from Mr. Rogers at least at the start. Now, at the time of his passing, it might be worth revisiting those lessons, especially regarding respect for others and ourselves.