I think all of the above responses are accurate as far as they go, and reply to several of Cathy's queries. However, there is another reason. We are simply using him and his passing as a benchmark for ourselves. As games, we have passed out of the first age. When I got the news, the word that kept coming to mind was "generation".

When all is done, mourning, eulogizing, etc, often aren't an expression of the dead and their life. certianly, that's part of it, but rather more important is the celebration for the needs of the living.

So, perhaps the better question is, "why are we using Gygax's death and a moment to reflect on geekdom, and what would we like our next Age to look like?