A slow trickle of news Friday night soon became a tsunami of shock and grief, followed by a wave of tributes to Gil de Ferran, who died of a heart attack that afternoon. I was among those in disbelief.

I expected that I would need to write another obituary column at some point before I retire this column, but this was not one I thought I’d be writing. To be honest, I hope I don’t have to do another one while this space is active. I think that is what makes this such a shock.

de Ferran was 56, 20 years removed from racing in Indycar, and had built a great post driving career as a team owner, manager, and consultant. Everyone like de Ferran, known to be a class individual outside the car. He drove with a will to win, as evidenced by his two Indycar titles and the 2003 Indianapolis 500 victory.

I thought he was under appreciated as a driver, drowned out by the feats of fellow Brazilians Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan. In addition to his 12 Indycar wins, de Ferran had three top 10s in four Indianapolis 500s.

His closed course one lap record of 241.428 miles an hour, set in October 2000, at California Speedway, may never be broken. de Ferran’s ALMS Acura team won five races in 2009, including four in a row.

As I have said before, do not miss an opportunity to tell your heroes how much you appreciate them. many of them are at a track or two during the season. Also hug your loved ones.