Rafer Johnson, Olympic Champion Who Helped Subdue Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassin, Dies at 86

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Rafer Johnson, the famed Olympian who won gold and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin in 1968, died Wednesday at age 86.

The former athlete — whose cause of death was not announced — died at his home in Sherman Oaks, the University of California, Los Angeles, confirmed in a statement.

Johnson rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s thanks to his remarkable talents in track and field, which was sparked by his decathlon win at the Pan American Games as a student at UCLA in 1955.

Five years later, Johnson became the first African American flag bearer for the United States at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He'd go on to win the gold medal in the decathlon and would be instrumental in bringing the Games to Los Angeles in 1984.

For his work in bringing the Olympics stateside, Johnson was given the honor of lighting the Olympic torch at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“When I got up there, and I turned and saw the crowd, saw that view, and there was nothing behind me, and I’m standing on something about a foot wide, I know I would have fallen," Johnson said of the emotional moment, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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David Livingston/Getty Rafer Johnson

"I can’t even explain the feeling," he added at the time. "My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I was going to die.”

In June 1968, Johnson was working with Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign when the candidate was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Johnson, along with others, helped to subdue the man who shot Kennedy.

“I knew he did everything he could to take care of Uncle Bobby at his most vulnerable moment,” Kennedy’s niece, Maria Shriver, told the Associated Press of Johnson. “His devotion to Uncle Bobby was pure and real. He had protected his friend. Even after Uncle Bobby’s death he stayed close.”

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Kennedy died of his injuries on June 6, 1968, one day after being shot by his assassin, Sirhan Sirhan.

"[It was] one of the most devastating moments in my life," Johnson later said of the incident, as reported by CBS News.

Johnson — born on Aug. 18, 1934, in Hillsboro, Texas — retired from athletics following his win at the 1960 Olympics and later tried his hand in acting. He starred in a number of films, including Wild in the Country, None But the Brave, and the James Bond film, License to Kill, CBS noted.

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He remained a prominent sports figure in Los Angeles following his retirement, and UCLA named their track after him and his wife, Betsy, in October.

"We are devastated by the news of the passing of Rafer Johnson. Words cannot sufficiently express what Rafer means to this athletic department, to this university and to our greater community," the school said in a statement. "A true humanitarian, Rafer's profound impact transcends sport. He will forever be remembered not only for his historic athletic achievements but also for his heart and for the tremendous example he has set for all Bruins."

"Today, we mourn the loss of a legend," they continued. "Our heartfelt sympathy is with the entire Johnson family, including his wife, Betsy, his children, Jenny and Josh, his son-in-law, Kevin, and his four grandchildren."