Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic Decathlon Champion, Dies at 86

Olympic gold medalist and philanthropist Rafer Johnson lifts his arm to mimic the lighting of the Olympic torch as he recalls the first Special Olympics World Games he attended in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 20, 2015. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

LOS ANGELES—Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin in 1968, died Wednesday. He was 86.

He died at his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, according to family friend Michael Roth. No cause of death was announced.