The thing is about people like that, they either live to be 90 or die at 50. Unfortunately, he was on the small end of the spectrum. Chain smoking, loads of stress, and little sleep will catch up to you eventually.
I read somewhere that 50% of smokers will die of tobacco related illness, and 50% of those will die around age 50. So 1 in 2 chance of dying because of an illness directly related, 1 in 4 chance of dying at a premature age. Those are bad odds.
But I digress, RIP Phil, I wish more Americans had the heart and work ethic that this guy did.