Simon & Schuster CEO dies of a heart attack at 71

Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy died Tuesday morning following a heart attack at the age of 71.

A spokesman for the publishing company said that Reidy was reportedly healthy before the fatal heart attack, adding there was no known connection to the novel coronavirus, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Simon & Schuster Executive Vice President Dennis Eulau said Reidy was “a publisher and a leader,” adding that her “fierce intelligence and curiosity” pushed the company to do “just that little bit more,” according to a news release.

Owned by parent company ViacomCBS, Simon & Schuster published numerous top-selling authors during Reidy’s time as chief executive, including Bob Woodward, David McCullough, Mary Higgins Clark and Stephen King, according to the release.

“Carolyn was a passionate and beloved leader, who helped make Simon & Schuster what it is today: one of the most successful and respected consumer publishing houses in the business,” said ViacomCBS Chief Executive Bob Bakish in a statement Tuesday.

Reidy’s career reportedly started in 1974, working at Random House in the subsidiary rights department. She began work at Simon & Schuster in 1992 presiding over the trade division.

In 2001, she became the president of the adult publishing group and later succeeded Jack Romanos as CEO in 2008.

“She was the logical choice,” Romanos said in an interview with The Journal. “We had worked side-by-side for years, so strategically she knew where we wanted the company to go. She was also well liked and well respected by everyone who was going to work and report to her.”

Reidy is survived by her husband Stephen as well as sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews, according to the news release.