Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Political Editor Bill Simmons Dead At 71

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is reporting that its political editor, Bill Simmons, died Monday at the age of 71.

With nearly a half-century of experience in Arkansas journalism, Simmons was a legend among political journalists.

Simmons had served as political editor of the Democrat-Gazette since 1997.

He was a graduate of North Little Rock High School and attended Little Rock University, according to a statement released from the newspaper. He is preceded in death by his wife, Jane, and has two children, Teddi Cole and Toby Simmons.

You can read more here.

And if you want to get a good read on Simmons’ career, what made him tick and a few war stories, here is a link to an interview conducted through the Pryor Center at the University of Arkansas.