Southern California lost its voice Tuesday.

Vin Scully was more than just a baseball announcer. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1958, migrating from Brooklyn with the rest of the Dodgers, and he was here because Walter O’Malley resisted the suggestions from the locals to hire an L.A. guy to do the games.

And not only did he become part of our community and part of our culture, he became synonymous with it. That voice, wishing us a very pleasant good evening, wherever we might be, provided us companionship as well as information.

He became, indeed, a friend to millions of residents of Southern California who had never met him. Those who did, more often than not, were touched by the modesty and humility he displayed, a reminder that the truly great ones don’t need to advertise it.

And so it was when the news broke Tuesday night, that Vin had passed away