Les Paul, R.I.P.

So Les Paul died yesterday. Just found this out last night - my wife actually told me.
If you don't know who he was, see this article. One could say that he was the single person literally, technically responsible for rock and roll. He seemed to me to be a really interesting fellow, dedicated to his art. I met him once at Iridium a few years ago. He had just turned 86, I think, and still played a full 1.5 hr set, bantering and joking with the smallish crowd all the while. He stayed behind after his set for another hour or so, signing autographs and just shmoozing with whoever wanted to shmooze. He didn't have to; the guy's a celebrity, for crying out loud, PLUS he was over 85! But he did, and I never got the impression he felt he had to stay, he wanted to do that.
He seemed to me to be a real, sincere, great personality and the music world will be forever diminished without him.