Obama 'saddened' by death of former NYT publisher Sulzberger

President Obama on Saturday praised Arthur Ochs Sulzberger as a fearless truth-seeker and First Amendment champion, saying he and the first lady are "saddened" by the death of the long-time New York Times publisher earlier in the day.

"Over the course of more than 30 years, Arthur helped transform The New York Times and secure its status as one of the most successful and respected newspapers in the world," Obama said in a statement. 

"He was a firm believer in the importance of a free and independent press - one that isn't afraid to seek the truth, hold those in power accountable, and tell the stories that need to be told."

Sulzberger took the reigns of the Times in 1963 and steered the paper for the next 34 years, through a stretch that saw both the enormous expansion of the company's reach and a vast increase in its profitability.

Along the way, he helped expand freedom of speech by publishing the Pentagon Papers and refusing to back down in the face of threats from the Nixon administration to desist. The confrontation ran its way up to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Times and The Washington Post, which had also published the texts.

Sulzberger ceded the publishing role to his son in 1992, but remained as CEO of the Times parent company for five more years. 

He died Saturday morning at the age of 86 after fighting a long illness, his family announced. 

"Arthur's legacy lives on in the newspaper he loved and the journalists he inspired," Obama said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."