Bob Ross, the founding publisher of the Bay Area Reporter, died December 10, 2003 of complications from diabetes. He was 69.
Ross, a gay man, rose from a chef to publishing the country's oldest and largest LGBTQ newspaper, as the December 18 issue of the paper noted.
Mr. Ross started the B.A.R. in April 1971 with his friend, Paul Bentley, who left the venture after a few years, leaving Mr.
Ross to oversee it. The newspaper grew in stature and influence over the years. During the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the B.A.R.