Because they care about him. I disagreed with him on almost everything and I’m still sad he died. He was a familiar face online and someone I genuinely wanted to talk to. I know I have familiarity bias here, but I actually miss him. He was wrong about many things and intellectually dishonest at times, but he did not deserve to die for it.
We all lost something when he died. Those who agree with him lost a figure to look up to. Those who disagree with him lost a chance to test, refine, and strengthen their beliefs. Everyone lost a political conversation starter. And many of us became more afraid to share our political beliefs in this violent tinderbox of a country.