As Irisado says, a lot comes down to whether the US can restrain itself from meddling. Their track record in this area is not great, but that doesn't by any means make it a foregone conclusion. We'll just have to wait and see. Prepare for Fox News blowhards calling this an "opportunity" to "help free" Venezuelans.
As for the man himself- a crazy, crazy awesome kind of dude. Freely giving the finger to powers considerably greater than his own, campaigning on a platform of supporting the poor and then actually doing it when elected, sticking up for the underdog (sometimes with unfortunate results). I wouldn't describe him as a hero or anything, but I had a lot of respect for the guy, and I'm sad to see him pass.