Re: Prominent billionaire Biden donor dies in crash at Colorado racetrack

Steve Cummings <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]: 

> His wife is a Trump supporter.

A prominent Chicago billionaire died in a car crash Sunday at a racetrack 
in Colorado, officials said. 

James Crown, a businessman and philanthropist who was part of Chicago's 
wealthy Crown family, suffered blunt force trauma after hitting an impact 
barrier at Aspen Motorsports Park in Woody Creek, the Pitkin County 
Coroner's Office said in a news release. A final cause of death for Crown 
is still pending an investigation by the coroner's office.

Crown, who owned the Aspen Skiing Company, among other business ventures, 
was 70 years old at the time of his death. The fatal crash has been ruled 
an accident by the coroner in Pitkin County, where Crown lived part-time 
in addition to Chicago.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson shared a statement with CBS Chicago in 
response to the news of Crown's death, telling the station that he was 
"devastated" when he heard about the crash.

"A lifelong Chicagoan, Jim gave back to the city through philanthropy and 
leadership on a number of civic and academic boards as he was deeply 
committed to investing in Chicago and its people," Johnson said in the 
statement. 

"With his generosity, Jim truly embodied the soul of Chicago. I was 
especially grateful for his commitment to work collaboratively with my 
administration to build a safer Chicago, having met recently to share 
ideas. I send my deepest condolences to his wife, four children, 
grandchildren, and the entire Crown family and pray for their peace," the 
mayor continued.

Crown was a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of 
Chicago, a nonprofit community organization, according to CBS Chicago. He 
recently helped launch an initiative with the Civic Committee that aimed 
to raise tens of millions of dollars over the next several years to help 
reduce crime in Chicago by working with local organizations and leaders. 
Crown said earlier this month that the new initiative aims to improve 
safety throughout the city.

Crown and his wife had just been guests at a state dinner at the White 
House last week, and President Biden released a statement Monday saying, 
"Jim represented America at its best — industrious, big-hearted, and 
always looking out for each other. He was a good man, a dear friend, and a 
great American."

This article has been updated with a revised report from the coroner's 
office.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-crown-dies-car-crash-colorado-
racetrack-chicago-billionaire/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3b