good riddance (?) to a sick man

Jesse Helms passed away on the fourth. I'm torn about saying "good riddance" because it's fairly disrespectful. I want to value his life. But things like this make it hard:

When Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois became the first African-American woman to sit in the Senate, Helms followed Moseley-Braun into an elevator, announcing to Utah Senator Orrin Hatch: "Watch me make her cry. I'm going to make her cry. I'm going to sing 'Dixie' until she cries."

Then, emphasizing the lines about how "good" things were before the Civil War ended slavery, Helms sang "Dixie."

He was an ugly man. But even more ugly might be the mourning by conservatives in this country who elevate him in death. The mourning process is never solely a process of ending; it is a process of building.

Obsidian Wings has a great collection of conservative reactions to Helms's death and quotes from his very own bigoted mouth.