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

Bill Johnson, the first American skier to win an Olympic downhill title, has 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 skier to capture gold in Alpine skiing’s marquee event.