HOUSTON -- John Eckel Jr., who turned a 23-mile pipeline into a midstream natural gas company with more than 6,000 miles of pipeline and seven processing plants, has died at the age of 58, Copano Energy LLC said Sunday.

Eckel had been on medical leave since Nov. 4 and recently suffered liver failure, the company said.

Eckel founded Copano in 1992 and served as president and CEO until 2003 when he became chairman and CEO. Copano has seven processing plants in Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming and Louisiana.

Copano's board has appointed R. Bruce Northcutt, the company's president and chief operating officer since 2003, as president and CEO and a director. William Thacker, a member of the company's board since it went public in 2004, has been elected chairman.

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