Well, this seems an occasion as good as any to show my absolute love and praise for James
Really, I may be the 1% or less of the fans in saying this, but James is THE reason I listen to Dream Theater. Guitarits focus on Petrucci, drummers focus on Portnoy, I'm not a singer but I've always loved singing and for 7 years I took singing lessons, so the voice will always be the first thing I notice in music, and James' voice was the deciding factor in starting to love Dream Theater.
Sure, then I also learnt to appreciate the intricacies of the music, but James was and has always been the selling point for me. I'd consider him my favorite singer after Bruce Dickinson, for the many sides of his voice praised before... I was never annoyed by the "breathy" quiet sections, I actually think they're wonderful and when he sings them live it's just spellbinding and awesome.
His roaring voice back in the I&W and Awake days was godlike, and still his high register vocals today on the DT songs and other projects is gorgeous. He comes across as a humble and intelligent guy, and he was very kind with me when I met him at his solo show in 2005, he's the only one of DT I had the pleasure of meeting face to face.
Really, I'm a big fan of James as can be, I actually admire him and respect him. Same for the other DT guys, all hard working musicians dedicated to their craft who are not turned douche by fame or by wild parties and drugs, it's nice to be in the position to not love just the music, but also appreciate the actual persons that create said music.