Former San Diego Union-Tribune owner and Publisher David Copley dies after crash near La Jolla home

LA JOLLA - Former San Diego Union-Tribune owner and publisher David Copley has died, hours after crashing his Aston Martin near his La Jolla home.

Copley, 60, died from an apparent heart attack at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he was taken after the crash, his friend, Dr. Robert Singer, told reporters outside the hospital. He called Copley ''a gentle soul'' and ''a great San Diegan and beloved citizen of the world.''

Copley crashed his Aston Martin into a parked car on Silverado Street near Eads Avenue at 6:15 p.m., said San Diego police Officer David Stafford....