Italy Simpson
FILE - Associated Press correspondent Victor Simpson, left, interviews Pope John Paul II aboard the airplane in flight from Rome to Warsaw, June 2, 1979.
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Victor L. Simpson, a longtime Rome bureau chief for The Associated Press, has died at 84. His family said Monday that he died of cancer at his home in Rome. Simpson's 46-year career spanned five popes and major global events. He covered stories from the 1967 Newark, New Jersey, race riots to the papacy of Pope John Paul II. A native New Yorker, he joined AP in 1967 and became Rome bureau chief in 2005. His life was marked by personal tragedies, including the killing of his daughter by Palestinian militants who atacked Rome's airport in 1985. Simpson was known for his storytelling and dedication to journalism.
