Originally Posted by: thebluesbreakeru'll prob all shoot me down in flames for this but i think in a way(a very little way) it kinda partially helped his career, with the whole media thing kinda like lennon i mean that in the utter most respect R.I.P to a great

Nah, I see your point, but I think he was already hugely respected as a player (and as a person). For instance his Riffer Madness series of articles was easily the most popular for Guitar World, and his fans loved his open welcoming personality. The reverence given him since, has only been due to missing his overwhelming presence while he was here. Also I don't think the incident even got that much coverage, except the immediate news story. Most out of the guitar or metal community prolly still don't know his name. So yeah, I think his status was fully earned beforehand, while his legacy has generally only been observed with those who appreciated him in life, me obviously being one of them!