Shoe-shiner who gave $200K in tips to hospital dies at 76

PITTSBURGH (AP) " A part-time shoe-shiner who donated more than $200,000 in tips to a Pittsburgh children's hospital has died.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center officials say Albert Lexie died of an undisclosed health condition early Tuesday. He was 76.

Lexie left his home in Monessen around 5 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday for more than 30 years to shine shoes at UMPC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

He donated his tips to the hospital's Free Care Fund, which helps support under- and uninsured children in western Pennsylvania.

Lexie gained national acclaim as his donations grew, and he was later added to the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans in Washington, D.C.

Children's hospital President Chris Gessner says Lexie was an "inspiration for us all."

Lexie's funeral will be held Friday morning in Monessen.