Grew up listening to the Hip. They are, if not my favorite, then easily a top 3 all-time band.
Gord is my favorite front-man, and I don't think that will ever change. He put on these amazing shows that were pretty much the product of sheer effort. This was obvious because the guy would be sweating head-to-toe about halfway through the first song.
Saw him do a sit-down acoustic song/spoken poetry set at the Adam's Mark for an environmental conference, and he was the same guy, just his effort was evident in the emotion of his voice, rather than being drenched in sweat. He clearly cared for the marginalized.
I get the crowd of the "why are you upset over a musician you never met?" mindset, but at the same time, this guy definitely had a huge impact on my life through his music and approach to art.