I was surprised by his death, and then I read an article that said, "No one should be surprised by his death." I guess it's because I hadn't seen or heard from him in years. Then again, I do remember a year or so ago when he was saying he would be dead soon, I think.
Hell, Zack Allan on Babylon 5 was about as solid and meaty a role as he any he ever got (even compared to Taxi), so any obituary leaving that role out is doing him a major disservice.