I think he had been in ill health for a few years... and recent photos of him show him to have aged quite a bit.
I think I also first saw him on SNL and I've followed him ever since. I still have a couple of his early LPs.
Quite the character. Saw him live about 20 years ago.
We saw him in Miami years ago double billed with Tom Waits. I always wondered whether they argued over who was entitled to bottom billing.
Bob Hustead