James Brady, the former White House Press Secretary who served under President Ronald Reagan, died Monday at the age of 73. Brady was seriously injured after being shot in the attempted assassination of President Reagan in March 1981. While Reagan himself was shot at the Washington Hilton, the President recovered quickly; Brady, however, was left paralyzed and brain damaged.

In his book We Interrupt This Broadcast, author Joe Garner discusses the networks reporting at one point during the assassination attempt that Brady had died in the shooting. Brady did survive the attack, and would campaign with his wife Sarah for stricter handgun regulations. In 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which called for mandatory background checks on potential gun buyers. This video, uploaded to YouTube by BradyCampaign, shows part of the bill-signing ceremony.

Brady would keep his position as Press Secretary throughout Reagan’s two terms, but deputies Larry Speakes and Marlin Fitzwater would take over media-briefing responsibilities. The would-be assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., pled not guilty for reason of insanity; he was sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, although recently he was given permission to leave for extended periods. Reagan served as President until 1989, and passed away in 2004 following complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

If you want to share your thoughts on the Brady Law, or if you remember seeing the assassination attempt covered as it happened, feel free to post a comment!

UPDATE (August 8): A Virginia medical examiner has ruled Brady’s death as a homicide. The Associated Press was first to report.