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Lester Maddox, Georgia Governor During Rights Struggle, Dies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 8:25 a.m. ET

ATLANTA (AP) -- Lester Maddox, the restaurateur who became a symbol of segregationist defiance and then Georgia governor in a fluke election, died Wednesday, family members said. He was 87.

Maddox, who had battled cancer since 1983, cracked two ribs when he fell about 10 days ago at an assisted living home where he was recovering from intestinal surgery. He later developed pneumonia and was placed in an Atlanta hospice where he died, the family said.

``Gov. Maddox had the unique ability to connect with everyday Georgians regardless of their background or station in life,'' Gov. Sonny Perdue said in a statement. ``Georgians have lost more than a former governor. We have lost a devoted family man, a dedicated public servant and a prominent citizen who loved this state and her people.''

Maddox became famous in the 1960s when he closed and then sold his Pickrick fried chicken restaurant in Atlanta rather than serve blacks. But fears of racial strife during his 1967-71 governorship proved unfounded when Maddox pursued a policy of relative moderation on race.