ATLANTA - William Schwartz, the former president of Cox Enterprises, has died of prostate cancer, the same disease he spent years fighting on a national level. He was 63. <br>
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Schwartz died Monday after a 35-year career as a media executive. Since 1994, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he has dedicated himself to fighting the disease by raising research money and educating people. <br>
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Schwartz was president and chief operating officer of Cox Enterprises from the early 1980s until 1987. He oversaw Cox Enterprise's purchase of TV stations nationwide from the Cox family. <br>
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He became volunteer chief executive officer of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition and a board member of CaP CURE, working to promote awareness and launch lobbying efforts to get money in the fight against prostate cancer. <br>
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The president of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, Richard Atkins, said ``More men are surviving prostate cancer today because of the fervent dedication and selfless generosity of Bill Schwartz. He was my friend and a hero to the advocacy community.'' <br>
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Schwartz began his broadcasting career at NBC in New York, and then helped put WUAB-TV on the air when he moved to Cleveland. He also worked in San Francisco and spent the last 23 years of his life living in Atlanta. <br>
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Greg Stone, general manager of WSB-TV in Atlanta, said ``He was very smart, he was very thorough, and I thought he was one of the best in the business at what he did.'' <br>
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Schwartz is survived by a wife, two sons, two daughters and his brother. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Temple Sinai in Atlanta.
