Gosh.
I remember I'd watch him on TV all the time when I was little..... I idolized him so much back then and went through a phase where I constantly did impressions of him.
These days, I'm not the biggest fan, but I did enjoy watching him on occasion.. He was so entertaining.
I, too, thought this was a joke of some sort at first.
My heart goes out to his family and the others who were in his life.