BATON ROUGE - The dean of LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication died overnight.

Martin Johnson was relatively new as head of the school, having been appointed dean in April 2018.  He'd previously been the associate dean for graduate studies and research for the Manship School and the holder of the Kevin P. Reilly Sr. Chair in Political Communications.

The Manship School of Mass Communication includes the journalism department and public relations along with digital advertising and political communication.  It offers the only graduate program in the U.S. in media and public affairs.

"Our thoughts are with his family and everyone affected. More updates to come," Tiger TV reported on social media Tuesday.

"We’re all in shock," a stunned LSU official told WBRZ Tuesday morning. 

The Daily Reveille reported Johnson died from a heart attack, citing University President Thomas Galligan.

Johnson is a graduate of the Manship School and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Rice University.  Before returning as a member of the LSU faculty, he served as department chair and professor at University of California, Riverside, and directed the school's Media & Communication Research Lab.

As an LSU student, he was the former editor of The Daily Reveille. 

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