Former Washington D.C. Mayor, Marion Barry Dies

Marion Barry Jr., a fiery civil rights activist who rose to prominence as a mayor of Washington, D.C. died early Sunday morning. He was 78 years old.

His death was announced in a statement released by the family.

No cause of death was given, but Barry had been in and out of the hospital for the last year. He had a history of health problems that included a battle with prostate cancer in the 1990s, a kidney transplant in 2009 and a decades-long struggle with diabetes. He'd even survived a bullet wound in a City Hall shootout in 1978.

His spokeswoman, LaToya Foster, said he collapsed outside his home, the Associated Press reported.

Source: USA Today

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