Former New York deputy mayor and prominent Democratic political consultant William "Bill" Lynch Jr. has died from complications related to kidney disease. He was 72.

Lynch managed the historic 1989 mayoral campaign of David Dinkins, New York's first African-American mayor, and served as deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs under Dinkins. The Long Island native earned the moniker of the "rumpled genius" for his political savvy during Dinkins' campaign. "'I think he's a genius,'' political consultant Norman Adler told the New York Times in 1989. ''I think people have always underestimated him because people have a tendency to stereotype the people they meet, and he is a very rumpled genius. But I think the way he managed David, and the disparate forces behind him, is nothing short of remarkable.''

Lynch played a key role in organizing Nelson Mandela's visit to New York in 1990. He also ran New York campaign operations for Bill Clinton in 1992, and was later appointed by Clinton as vice chair to the Democratic National Committee.

Lynch went on to form Bill Lynch Associates, a prominent firm that advised New York Democrats and maintained deep ties with the city's Black leaders.