Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson has died. He was 84.
Thompson was known as “Big Jim” during a long career that eventually made him the state’s longest-serving chief executive.
His wife, Jayne, told the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times that he died shortly after 8 p.m. Friday at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. The Tribune, citing a police report, reported Thompson had been recovering there for several weeks after suffering heart problems.