Ex-Hearst chief Danzig dies at 85

NEW YORK—Robert J. Danzig, who overcame difficult beginnings as a foster child during the Great Depression to become the head of Hearst Newspapers, has died, the company said. He was 85.

Danzig lead the newspaper division at Hearst from 1977 to 1997, overseeing its growth to become the seventh largest newspaper company in the United States, the company said. He died Wednesday in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after a long illness.

Under Danzig's leadership, Hearst acquired the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and several community newspapers. It gained a daily circulation of more than 1.3 million and a Sunday circulation of more than 2.5 million, the company said.

Danzig is survived by his wife Dianne, five children and 10 grandchildren. He is also survived by his wife's three daughters and their children and grandchildren.