Technician For The Tuskegee Airmen Dies In Harlem At Age 100

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A New York City man who served as an aircraft technician with the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen has died at 100 years of age.

Police say a health aide found Wilfred DeFour unconscious and unresponsive inside his Harlem apartment Saturday morning.

DeFour was pronounced dead by Emergency Medical Service workers. Police say he appears to have died from natural causes.

MORE: Suffolk Schoolchildren Learn History First-Hand From Tuskegee Airmen

DeFour was honored just last month at a ceremony to rename a Manhattan post office after the Tuskegee Airmen.

In recent years, DeFour and other members of the legendary squadron have served as living history books for many local children, teaching students about their efforts in World War II and about segregation in the United States.

DeFour also reportedly served as a postal employee for more than 30 years after his military service.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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