Lovely picture, that. I think Rush looks good with the beard.
The beard really does make him look like a harmless little fuzzball.
As someone who often watches the Dittocam playback on YouTube, the beard is something new and something he didn't start until maybe a week ago.
I retired last spring and I kept asking myself "why am I still shaving?" so I still shave but not daily. I'm guessing when he received the cancer diagnosis, he probably asked "why am I still shaving?" and decided to stop. I imagine he didn't think he might be put on prime time national television that way. He's probably a little sheepish about it.