On his MySpace page, Lothar Patten responds to the question “Who I’d like to meet” by answering “friends of all kinds.”

Star of the local documentary “The Nice Man Cometh” and author of the self-published “Diary of a Nice Man,” the well-known Portsmouth resident, always ready with a smile and friendly word for the merest of acquaintances, died of an apparent heart attack on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Patten had in fact become a local personality by logging miles on foot and on bike around downtown Portsmouth and meeting friends of all kinds.

He moved to the city a dozen years ago while struggling with homelessness, and in 2003, partnered with UNH sociology professor James Tucker to make a documentary that included conversations on homelessness with presidential candidates visiting the Seacoast.

“I interviewed all the Democratic contenders except for Al Sharpton. John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Joe Lieberman, Carol Moseley-Braun, Ted Danson, Howard Dean, Wesley Clark and Dennis Kucinich all spoke with me or answered my questions from the audience. Most of the time I was able to shake hands with them and speak face to face. The homeless problem and the Iraq war were and continue to be issues of great importance to me,” Patten wrote on his blog.

In addition to his video projects with Tucker, Patten wrote his book, launched the blog and networked on MySpace. Apparent through all was his optimistic outlook and determination to overcome any obstacles.

A native of Germany, Patten’s family moved to Maine when he was 5. As a teen, he developed a passion for golf while caddying at York Country Club. Later, he served in the U.S. Army. A series of events in the 1990s led to his becoming homeless, including divorce from his wife, the death of his mother and loss of his housing. Eventually, he found an apartment with assistance from Cross Roads House.

“Lothar Patten has slept in the Sagamore graveyard and under the bridge that connects Portsmouth to Pierce Island. He has lived in the woods of York, and stayed in homeless shelters on and off. His life wasn’t always this way; the story of how things changed is unique, but it’s not unfamiliar,” wrote Hillary Webb in an article about the friendship between Patten and Tucker in The Wire on Dec. 3, 2003.

When Patten turned 59 on Saturday, Nov. 22, he wrote on MySpace, “And my birthday has arrived.” He describes a day spent on his bike with friends, a road race in Portsmouth and good wishes to another friend. “And I cannot express the nice feelings for this day,” he wrote.

As Lothar would say, “Goodbye for now and God bless.”