Whistleblower Joshua Dean, ex-worker at Boeing supplier, dies
Al Jazeera
Former Spirit AeroSystems employee Joshua Dean dies after sudden illness, family says.
A whistleblower who accused a Boeing supplier of ignoring defects in the production of the 737 MAX has died after a sudden illness, family members and his former employer have said.
Joshua Dean, a former Spirit AeroSystems employee who alleged he was fired in retaliation for flagging lax standards at the company’s Wichita, Kansas, manufacturing plant, died on Tuesday, his aunts and sister said in posts on Facebook.
“Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here at Spirit and for his loved ones,” a spokesperson for Spirit AeroSystems said in a statement.
Dean’s mother wrote in a Facebook post last month that her son was “fighting for his life” after contracting pneumonia and suffering a stroke following an MRSA infection.
The Seattle Times, which first reported his death, said Dean was 45 years old and had “been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle”.
