Official who OK’d Obama birth papers dies in crash

The Hawaii health official who verified the authenticity of President Obama’s birth certificate has died in a small plane crash, authorities said Thursday.

The plane, with a pilot and eight passengers aboard, went down Wednesday in the water off the Hawaiian island of Molokai, the Maui Fire Department said. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser was among the first outlets to report that the lone fatality was Loretta Fuddy. Tom Matsuda, the interim executive director of Hawaii’s health insurance exchange, later confirmed Fuddy’s death.

Fuddy, 65, became acting health director in January 2011. After being confirmed as the permanent health director, Fuddy made news in April 2011 when she verified the authenticity of certified copies of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, proving that he had been born in Hawaii.