Former Kentucky Governor and Businessman John Y. Brown Dies

Kentucky Gov. John Y. Brown appears before a House Ways and Means subcommittee in Washington April 3, 1981. John Duricka/AP Photo

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—John Y. Brown Jr., who became Kentucky’s governor after building empires in business and sports, has died. He was 88.

Brown’s family said in a release Tuesday that “every day was an exciting adventure” for the former Democratic governor, who served from 1979 to 1983.