This is a great loss. Steve Allen was one of Hollywood's few true intellectuals, in addition to being a witty and compassionate man. Does anyone remember "Meeting of the Minds" on PBS? Brilliant stuff, and funny, too. That show made it quite obvious how much Steve loved Jayne Meadows, who got to play Queen Cleopatra (and every other female historical figure).
The only other early-TV personages to equal Steve Allen, IMHO, were Ernie Kovacs and Sid Caesar. We lost Ernie long ago, but I believe Sid is still with us. The Golden Age of live TV comedy is remembered fondly by most of us who are over 50, and Steve Allen was one of the chief goldminers of that Golden Age.