Victor L. Simpson, former bureau chief of the Associated Press in Rome and a renowned journalist, passed away at the age of 84. He died on Sunday at his home in Rome due to cancer.
Prominent Career and Major Coverage
During his 46 years at the Associated Press, Simpson covered many significant stories in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. From the racial riots in Newark, New Jersey in 1967 to the Middle East wars and the era of Pope John Paul II, with whom he traveled extensively, Simpson played a crucial role in documenting contemporary history.
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He was appointed as news editor in Rome in 1972, where he met his future wife, Daniela Petroff. Daniela, who became a famous fashion and Vatican journalist, passed away in February this year at the age of 80.
Personal Experiences and Challenges
Simpson was appointed bureau chief of the Associated Press in Rome in 2005. He had previously worked for the Hackensack Record newspaper in New Jersey. Throughout his life, Simpson faced two major personal tragedies: the death of his father in 1964 during a robbery and the murder of his daughter Natasha by Palestinian militants in 1985. In this attack, Natasha was one of over a dozen people who lost their lives.
Many of his colleagues and friends remembered him as a lasting and influential figure at the Associated Press. Julie Pace, executive editor of the Associated Press, said, "Simpson had an extraordinary life and career and left a lasting legacy at the Associated Press."
Simpson and Petroff had another daughter named Debbie two years after Natasha's death, and Pope John Paul II congratulated the family on the birth of their new daughter.
Simpson was known as an experienced and respected journalist among reporters in Rome and was considered a prime destination for newcomers. Over the years, he traveled with Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on 92 occasions.
In one of his flights in 1986, he was invited by Pope John Paul II for dinner. During the meeting, he apologized to the pope for wearing his work clothes, to which the pope gently reassured him, saying, "These are my work clothes."
One of his biggest stories occurred in 1988 on a flight to Uruguay when he asked the pope about the solidarity strikes in Poland. The pope's response, fully supporting the strikes, made headlines around the world.
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Source: independent.co.uk
