During his tenure as publisher, the U-T won two Pulitzer Prizes: one was in 2006 for its role in uncovering the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal; the other was in 2009 for the work of editorial cartoonist Steve Breen.

He established The David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design at UCLA with a $6 million grant in 2008.

[9] Copley was an avid collector of contemporary art, which included a world class collection by Christo, as well as pieces by Andy Warhol, John Baldessari, and David Hockney.

[10] He also enjoyed the theatre and was a Tony-winning producer of the 2008 Broadway musical Memphis, directed by the La Jolla Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley.

[14][15] Copley died on November 20, 2012, from an apparent heart attack, while driving his Aston Martin, about a mile from home in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego.

Police and fire crews on the scene attempted CPR, and Copley was taken to nearby Scripps Memorial Hospital.