By Bill Wheelhouse, Ill. Public Radio
Springfield, Ill. – 
A rare but deadly side effect of heart disease is what killed Illinois' former U.S. Senator Paul Simon on Tuesday. That's according to Dr. James Dove of the the Prairie Heart Institute in Springfield, that's where Simon on Monday had a heart valve operation and a single bypass.
He died of Bowel Ischemia; his bowel didn't have enough blood to function during surgery, which allowed toxic materials into the bloodstream.
Simon's first election to office was in 1954. His is final 12 public office years were as a US Senator and included a run for President in 1988. On one of his last days in office in 1997, members surprised Simon by all wearing bow ties to the Senate floor.
Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy said yesterday in another era, Simon would have been a founding father. Paul Simon was 75
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