The guy was complicated to say the least. He raised the standard of living of the poor in Venezuela, improved education, housing and health care...he even sold oil at a steep discount to northern US cities, including my own, to people who couldn't afford to pay market price. He was smart and had charisma to burn. But he was also a military strongman who would kill for power, suppress opposition, and cozy up to international despots just to thumb his nose at Uncle Sam.
He was a one-off, and he'll be remembered as a legend of Latin America.