Bryan County Now editor Jamie Parker died Monday after a short illness, the Savannah Morning News reported late Monday.

Parker, a Waycross native and longtime local journalist who once worked for the Richmond Hill Bryan County News, became editor of Bryan County Now in 2009, the Morning News said. 

“I’ve always had the utmost respect for Jamie and his work. He leaves a hole in local journalism that will be hard to fill,” Bryan County News Editor Jeff Whitten said. "He'll be missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family." 

 An obituary was not available at the time of this story. 

 Editor's note: On the unexpected death of a colleague, competitor