Carl West, the former longtime editor of The State Journal and the man who founded the Kentucky Book Fair, has died. He was 74.
Tiffany McKinney with Herrod Brothers Funeral Home said West died Sunday at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. The State Journal reported West died after developing complications from a stroke he suffered last week.
West had three Pulitzer Prize nominations when he became editor at the Frankfort newspaper in 1979, a role he kept until 2012. He was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2003 and recently received a public service award for creating the Kentucky Book Fair.
Former publisher Ann Dix Maenza said West "lived and breathed news" and had a heart of gold beneath a gruff exterior.