Former governor John Y. Brown to lie in state at Kentucky capitol. Public invited to attend

Former Kentucky Gov. John Y. Brown, who died this week at age 88, will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda in Frankfort on Tuesday.

Brown, a Democrat, was the 55th Governor of the commonwealth, serving from December 1979 to December 1983, as well as a businessman who built Kentucky Fried Chicken into a worldwide fast-food power.

Brown will lie in state from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, with his family hosting a public visitation in the rotunda from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

A private memorial will follow on Wednesday, which the public will be able to view on Kentucky Educational Television and ket.org.

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According to Brown’s children, he died due to a series of health problems that stemmed from COVID-19 complications which began this summer. He was in the ICU in Lexington for three weeks before his passing, they said.

“Gov. Brown was a remarkable leader who was committed to serving the people of Kentucky. He made our commonwealth a better place,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement.

Born in Lexington, Brown was the son of former U.S. Rep. John Y. Brown Sr., who also served as Speaker of the Kentucky House and a member of the state legislature for more than 30 years.

In the 1960s, Brown was an early investor in fast food. He met Harland Sanders in 1963 and, with Jack C. Massey, purchased Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1964 for $2 million. He built it into the world’s largest fast-food chain before selling in 1971 for $284 million.

Brown married former Miss America and CBS sportscaster Phyllis George in 1979. He interrupted their honeymoon to announce his candidacy for governor, funding the campaign largely from his own fortune. He defeated former Republican Gov. Louie B. Nunn in the general election by a wide margin.