>>814One way I like to look at it is that he already was dead before the apocalypse ever happened. He was about to serve life in prison for murdering someone, and most likely die in there eventually. A miserable fate I'm sure.
The apocalypse gave him a chance to redeem himself. He saved Clementine and eventually gave his life for her. As great of a guy as he was for saving her at all, I think the fact that he sacrificed himself for Clem in the end is what cemented the fact he would die a hero.
And in spite of all of the bad things she's had to endure, I have no doubt that before AJ came along, that was a motivation to keep Clem going. At times, she very well could have been the only person in the world still alive who knew Lee existed. Her existence is keeping his memory alive.
Depending on what happens to Christa and Kenny, she'll probably be the last living person who knows Lee's story and how it ended.