Former Olympic downhill champ Bill Johnson dies at 55 (The Associated Press)

Bill Johnson, the brash American who became the first U.S. skier to win an Olympic downhill title, died after a long illness, the U.S. ski team said Friday. Megan Harrod, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Alpine team, said Johnson died Thursday at an assisted living facility in Gresham, Oregon. Johnson won the downhill at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, the first American to capture gold in Alpine skiing’s marquee event.