Ed Quillen, Noted Colorado Columnist, 1950-2012

We're just getting word via Twitter, but we're saddened to learn that longtime Denver Post columnist Ed Quillen passed away over the weekend. We'll update soon with more details.

UPDATE: Westword's Michael Roberts:

For more than a quarter century, Salida's Ed Quillen has regularly contributed to the editorial pages of the Denver Post, sharing his notably progressive thoughts on issues of the day in a way that raised readers' cheers and hackles, depending upon their personal ideological slant. But no more: Curtis Hubbard, the Post's editorial page editor, confirms that Quillen died yesterday of a heart attack.

...Quillen wrote for a series of newspapers he edited, including the Middle Park Times in Kremmling (1974-77), the Summit County Journal in Breckenridge (1977-78) and the Mountain Mail in Salida (1978-83). At that point, he began freelancing, with the Post publishing a submission from him in 1984. Toward the end of the next year, Quillen proposed a regular schedule to then-editorial page editor Chuck Green, who took him up on the pitch. Beginning in 1988, Quillen's takes appeared twice weekly in the Post.