Bob Caldwell, editor of The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, died of a heart attack on Saturday at the age of 63.

Amazingly, the salacious circumstances surrounding the married editor's death were (seemingly) nonchalantly published by the very paper where he had worked for more than 17 years.

The Oregonian's initial obituary of the late editor was typical enough -- praising Caldwell's keen mind, excellent news judgment and a heart full of compassion, and pointing out that two Oregonian reporters were awarded a Pulitzer Prize under his leadership.

The original obit closes with the assurance that more information will be published as it becomes available.

According to Gawker, The Oregonian had initially and erroneously reported Caldwell's death as having taken place in his car. Gawker writer John Cook reasons that this may account somewhat for the decision to publish the eyebrow-raising update, excerpted here:

Bob Caldwell, editor of The Oregonian's editorial pages, was in the Tigard apartment of a 23-year-old woman when he went into cardiac arrest Saturday afternoon. ... The woman told deputies she met Caldwell about a year ago at Portland Community College. Caldwell, she said, knew she didn't have much money, so he provided her cash for books and other things for school in exchange for sex acts at her apartment.

According to the report, the woman claimed Caldwell did not pay her that day, and police declined to file prostitution charges.

But what about his wife and three children?

Why the Oregonian had to be the one to peddle it is beyond me, Cook wrote for Gawker. I suppose the editors knew that it would come out eventually, and didn't want to be accused of 'covering up' an embarrassing story when it did.

Is that special treatment? Protecting your own? Omerta? Maybe, Cook continued. But maybe it's OK to be a little hypocritical and protective when your own people actually die, permanently, forever?