MUNCIE, Ind. -- The death of Roy Rogers, the singing "King of the Cowboys," leaves America with one less good guy, says a retired Ball State history professor.

Rogers, who died Monday at age 86 of congestive heart failure, was a symbol of American life to generations of fans, said Ray White, who is working on a reference book on the actor-singer and his wife, Dale Evans.

America fell in love with the Rogers' singing cowboy image because of his straight-shooting exploits in movies and television, he said.

"He tried never to do anything in the movies or in life that would tarnish his image," White said. "Millions of Americans came to idolize him because of his values. He epitomized what many of us believed in."

Violence was downplayed in Rogers' 87 films and television series, which ran from 1951-58 and then for decades in syndication. Instead of a wild shoot-out ending in a villain's death, Rogers would shoot the gun out of a bad guy's hand or use a lasso to tie up the evil doer.

White admits he was deeply saddened by the death of a man he describes as "a softer John Wayne."

"No one can compare to him today," he said. "He is much like John Wayne because all generations adored him. Any time he had a chance to meet people, he always was available and nice. He realized that these were the people who made him what he was.

White said he met Rogers in 1988 in Cincinnati at the city's bicentennial and a few years later in Portsmouth, Ohio.

"I was a little boy when I first saw him in the movies," White said. "I am one of those people who grew up with him and watched his family grow and change."

In his book, White hopes to provide information on Rogers, who was born in Cincinnati as Leonard Slye. Rogers was a Depression-era truck driver and peach picker, and then a successful country singer with the Songs of the Pioneers, before he landed a $75 a week job in 1937 as a singing cowboy at Hollywood's Republic Studio.

Rogers' marriage to Evans was a successful relationship on the screen, television and radio, he said. They co-wrote the theme song "Happy Trails to You." Featured were his famous palomino horse, Trigger, his dog, Bullet, and her horse.

Religion also played a major role in their productions, White said.

"They had a strong commitment to their faith and it was incorporated into their act like no other performers," White said. "Rogers and Evans had a lot of tragedy in their lives with deaths of two children. But, they said their faith in God kept them optimistic about life. In fact, they were together on a religious network program for years and Dale still has her own show."

White plans to have "Roy Rogers-Dale Evans: a Bio Bibliography" published within the next year to 18 months.