A legend to Canadian children died today: Ernie Coombs, the man who played Mr. Dressup on Canadian television for three decades. He died of complications from a stroke at the age of 73.

How significant was his part of Canadian culture? Mike Myers listed him on his list of Top 5 things he loved about Canada - even higher on his list that hockey... and we all know how fanatical he is about that.

Mr. Dressup was a simple children's show. The central character would draw cartoons, or dress-up to enact stories for the puppet boy Casey and his silent dog Finnegan. No explosions, no action or guns. Just a gentle half hour for kids every day.

I saw him perform live on stage when I was a child. That'll be a memory I'll always cherish.