A formerly severely depressed man whose life was saved by a little girl who spoke to him and became his friend has died this week.

According to a report by CBS News, back in 2016, Dan Peterson's mental health was at an all-time low following the death of his wife, and he was "ready to die". Yet in November of that year, when the former maths professor was out grocery shopping he was saved by the most unlikely of people: then-four-year-old Norah Woods.

Take a look at this tribute to Norah and Dan's inspiring friendship:

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As store security footage shows, while Dan was out grocery shopping in November of 2016, a little girl approached him out of nowhere and asked him for a hug. She even asked her mom Tara to take a picture of her with Dan.

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Dan was touched and moved by the little girl's simple act of kindness and compassion, and from then on Norah and Dan saw each other at least once a week. He even showed up to the toddler's kindergarten graduation, and there are countless pictures of the two of them together, which you can view on their Facebook page.

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But according to a recent obituary, Dan Peterson died of natural causes on February 10, 2020. He was survived by two sons, four daughters, 12 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held for him on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at the Warren Baptist Church Chapel, and Norah was in attendance to mourn him.

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In a blog post about her daughter's touching relationship with Peterson, Tara wrote: "Norah asks about Mr. Dan every day. She worries about him. She wonders if he’s lonely, or cold, or has cheese for his sandwiches. She wants him to be okay. She wants him to feel loved."

She added: "Mr. Dan thinks about Norah, too. After another recent visit, he relayed that he hadn’t had an uninterrupted night’s sleep since his wife died. He told me that he has slept soundly every night since meeting my girl. 'Norah has healed me' he said."

Man passes away years after young girl's friendship saved him