Obituary: James Brady

Former Reagan press secretary and anti-gun activist James Brady, 73, has died. He nearly died after being shot by John Hinkley in the March 1981 presidential assassination attempt. He was left paralyzed for life and was confined to a wheelchair.

He and his wife Sarah became leading advocates for sane gun laws following the shootings.

Brady was named White House press secretary when Reagan took office in January 1981 and two months later, on March 30, 1981, he was caught in the crossfire during John Hinckley's attempt to assassinate Reagan. Brady was the most seriously injured of the four people shot, including the president.

At first, doctors didn't think Brady would survive the gunshot wound to his head, CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante reported during a 2006 retrospective on the shooting. The hollow-point "devastator" bullet had exploded the right frontal lobe of his brain. He was saved by neurosurgeon Arthur Kobrine.

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Obituaries to Note

Parade columnist James Brady, 80, possibly of a stroke.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell, 56, apparently of heart problems.
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Singer and actress Susanna Foster, 84, best known for her performance in the 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera, of heart failure.
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NFL player Billy Wilson, 81, of cancer.
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Jazz saxophonist David (Fathead) Newman, 75, of pancreatic cancer.
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Famed women's basketball coach Kay Yow, 66, of cancer.
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