World War II veteran Lynn D. "Buck" Compton, whose military heroics were chronicled in the 2001 HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," died Saturday at his daughter's home in Burlington, Wash., after suffering a heart attack in January, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 90.
Compton, who was portrayed by Neal McDonough in the miniseries, was a first lieutenant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Army's 101st Airborne Division.
Compton, who was among those who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, was part of the group that destroyed German artillery during the battle at Brecourt Manor. During his tour in World War II, Compton also took part in Holland's Operation Market Garden and the Siege of Bastogne in Belgium.
Compton was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his service.
In later years, Compton -- as a Los Angeles deputy district attorney in Los Angeles -- was part of the team that prosecuted Sirhan B. Sirhan for the assassination of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. He was later appointed as a judge on the 2nd District Court of Appeal by then-California governor Ronald Reagan.
Compton's daughter, Syndee Compton, told the Times that her father was caught off-guard after gaining fame from the miniseries, which was based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 book of the same name.
"I think it probably shocked all of them," Compton said. "I don't think any of them in their wildest dream thought at 80 years of age they'd be getting this attention."
Compton is survived by his two daughters, Tracy and Syndee, and four grandchildren.
