Rick Johnson, popular Houston courthouse fixture, dies at 59

A makeshift memorial honoring vendor Rick Johnson sits outside the Harris County Courthouse on Thursday. A makeshift memorial honoring vendor Rick Johnson sits outside the Harris County Courthouse on Thursday. Photo: Brian Rogers, Chronicle Photo: Brian Rogers, Chronicle Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Rick Johnson, popular Houston courthouse fixture, dies at 59 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Rick Johnson, known for selling umbrellas and candy outside the Harris County courthouse, has died. He was 59 years old.

Johnson passed away around 3:43 a.m Thursday at his home, said KTRK-TV photographer Jaime Zamora. He had been suffering from an advanced form of colon cancer.

IN-DEPTH: Courthouse crowd pulls together to help popular vendor

News of his illness spurred defense attorneys, sheriff's deputies and the Harris County District Attorney's Office to help pitch in and pay for his expenses. So far, more than $30,000 was collected on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe.

Check back later for more updates to this developing story.