ANNAPOLIS, Md- Edward D. Casey, who was the executive editor of Capital-Gazette Newspapers in Maryland for 30 years, died Sunday. He was 77.

Casey, who was editor from 1971 to 2001, had been suffering from health problems, including lung cancer. He died while in Columbus, Ohio, for his grandson's wedding, The (Annapolis) Capital reported.

Casey was a native of Binghamton, N.Y., and he came to Annapolis from New Jersey, where he was editor of the Dover Advance. His newspaper career started in 1956 as a sportswriter with the Binghamton Press, and, in 1958, Mr. Casey became sports editor of the Endicott (N.Y.) Bulletin before taking over as news editor.

Casey was a past president of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association and a Pulitzer Prize juror.