Steve Florio Dead at 58

Sad news today: Steve Florio, the brash, colorful former CEO of Conde Nast Publications, died yesterday of complications from a heart attack. He was 58.

Florio had been suffering from heart problems for several years. His exit from the CEO post, in January 2004, was widely said to be health-related, although he always denied it.
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WWD has a nice obituary, with tributes from Graydon Carter, Anna Wintour, Tina Brown and others who worked with or under Florio. The Times also has an obit.

Both papers mention Florio's attempt to write a memoir, abandoned after excerpts of his secret proposal appeared in WWD. I was the one who wrote that WWD item, and the aftermath gave me a little taste of what dealing with Florio in his prime must have been like. First, he made a big show of being angry at me; months later, we broke bread together (at Michael's, of course), and he made a big show of forgiving me. And from that point on, he was as courteous as could be towards me.

BusinessWeek's Jon Fine also offers some thoughts, including his recollection of the time an annoyed Florio slapped a pen out of his hand.