You definitely have a point about the "thank you"-messages. I don't think I've ever sent a message like that to the author of any software, but I think it might be time to start, especially for software that is the product of (or spawned from) the hard work of a single person or a small group.
Sad news, 62 is way too early. I've been using Vim and the Vim modes/plugins of various IDEs (currently IntelliJ) for many years now, so I'm going to donate to ICCF in his memory.
:wq Bram, rest in piece.