Billy Broadhurst, an adviser to Edwin Edwards and countless other elected officials across the state, has died, according to several people who knew him. He was 77. Broadhurst was a lawyer who rose to prominence as a political operative working with a wide range of officials and a lobbyist for some of the most powerful interests in the state. Broadhurst had been actively working on politics up until this past weekend, when he was in New Orleans meeting with officials and potential clients. Details about Broadhurst's death were not immediately available. Information provided by The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.