SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Stuart Hedley, San Diego's famous Pearl Harbor survivor, has died at age 99 from complications of COVID-19, according to a published report.
The San Diego Union-Tribune said Hedley, a longtime Clairemont resident, died Wednesday.
"Stu Hedley is a hero," tweeted Mayor Todd Gloria. "He survived Pearl Harbor and spent the rest of his life ensuring San Diegans never forgot the date that lives in infamy."
Hedley, who died 86 days short of his 100th birthday, headed up San Diego's survivors chapter, which disbanded in 2019 due to lack of membership.
A tweet from the Us For Warriors Foundation noted that Hedley was the sole survivor of the attack on the Battleship West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941.
"His decades of advocacy for his fellow veterans made a difference and he will be missed," Gloria tweeted. "Godspeed Stu."
WATCH RELATED: WWII veterans gather to remember those lost in Pearl Harbor, including oldest survivor. (Apr 26, 2021)
