BANGOR -- John Bishop, who helped lead the Bangor Daily News into the computerized era in the 1980s and retired in 2003 as the company's vice-president, died Sunday of apparent heart failure. The 33-year newspaper veteran was 67.

Bishop started working for Bangor Publishing Co. in 1970. He remained on the board of directors for Northeast Publishing Co. after his retirement. Northeast Publishing, a subsidiary of Bangor Publishing, is based in Aroostook County and owns four weekly newspapers.

At the time of his death, Bishop lived with his wife in Georgetown, Mass.