He was a class act. In this age of being privy to every drama of every celebrity, he was essentially a private man. He did not milk his imminent demise, the way others would. That he was brave is a given; whereas most performers, once they achieve fame, never change for fear of losing their fan base, he would change his entire identity, like an earthbound, performing Doctor Who. He took a big chance doing this, and I think that his frequent metamorphoses garnered him more fans than staying constant would have done. I admired him greatly for many reasons.