Former NPR President Kevin Klose Passes Away at 85 Due to Alzheimer's Complications
Kevin Klose, who served as NPR president from 1998 to 2008, has died at the age of 85 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. Klose was known for his storytelling abilities, which he brought to NPR after a career as a foreign correspondent and Moscow bureau chief for the Washington Post. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing the largest gift in public media history from philanthropist Joan Kroc, which significantly bolstered NPR's endowment. Klose's leadership saw NPR's listenership double from 13 million to nearly 27 million, and he was recognized for enhancing the network's newsgathering capacity and production portfolio. Despite facing criticism for the reassignment of Bob Edwards from Morning Edition, Klose's legacy at NPR remains impactful.