BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. -- A prison worker who was taken to the hospital after collapsing, thanks to the inmates he was supervising, has died.

• The Bladen County Sheriff's Office announced 62-year-old James Smith passed away
• Smith made headlines last week, after the three inmates he was supervising during a roadside cleanup program grabbed his phone and called 911 after he passed out
• Medical personnel determined Smith had a stroke

The Bladen County Sheriff's Office announced 62-year-old James Smith passed away yesterday.

Smith made headlines last week, after the three inmates he was supervising during a roadside cleanup program grabbed his phone and called 911 after he passed out.

The inmates received a life-saving award for staying by his side when they could have easily run away.

Medical personnel determined Smith had a stroke.

He died at Duke Hospital in Raleigh.