TYLER, Texas — A beloved, longtime East Texas radio host has died after suffering a severe brain injury in a pedestrian accident.
According to Tyler police, John Sims, 70, passed away overnight Friday. An autopsy has been ordered.
Sims, who has served in East Texas radio for over 43 years, was involved in a wreck that occurred around 8 a.m. Tuesday, in the area of W. Front St. and S. Bonner Ave., near Wendy's, according to police and KTBB owner Paul Gleiser.
In a previous interview with CBS19, Gleiser said Sims was in extreme critical condition at a Tyler hospital and he was not expected to recover.
Sims was a native of Philadelphia who spent more than 45 years in radio, according to his KTBB biography.
Over the years, he was very active in local causes, including being a past president of Leadership Tyler and the Smith County Community Partnership Council (a citizen group that works with the state parole division). He was also the chairman emeritus for the Tyler Together Race Relations Forum, the biography states.
He was also active in the League of Women Voters, the March of Dimes, the Tyler Church and Community Network and East Texas Wheelers and Walkers (a fellowship and advocacy group for people with spinal cord injuries), according to KTBB.
Services for Sims are pending.