JoAnne A. Epps, the acting president of Temple, passed away after becoming ill on stage during a campus function.
Temple University’s acting president, JoAnne Epps, died unexpectedly at the age of 72 after collapsing during a memorial service for Charles Blockson, a curator of the Blockson Collection. Epps was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m. The university did not disclose the cause of her death, but a doctor at the Philadelphia hospital said she suffered a “sudden episode” and could not be revived. Epps served as the dean of Temple Beasley School of Law between 2008 and 2016, and became the university’s executive vice president and provost in 2016.