A billionaire who had vowed to make crime-riddled Chicago the safest city in the US has died in a tragic car crash at a race track in Colorado.
James ‘Jim’ Crown was celebrating his 70th birthday at the members-only Aspen Motorsports Park on Sunday when his vehicle hit an impact barrier.
‘Mr. Crown was involved in a motor vehicle crash at the Woody Creek racetrack resulting in fatal injuries,’ said the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Deputy Coroner Audra Keith said an official cause of death is pending an autopsy. However, ‘multiple blunt force trauma is evident’ and the manner accidental, she added.
The business magnate was the CEO of Henry Crown and Company, which oversees Aspen Skiing Company that owns and operates the mountains and ski area facilities.
James ‘Jim’ Crown, 70, was killed in a one-vehicle crash at a race track on Sunday. He’s pictured with his wife Paula Crown
‘The Crown family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Jim Crown in an accident earlier today. The family requests that their privacy be respected at this difficult time,’ a spokesman for the family told the Aspen Times.
‘Further details regarding plans for a memorial to remember Jim’s remarkable life will be released at a later date.’
Crown’s father Lester Crown told the Chicago Sun Times: ‘He was driving a race car, and it hit a wall going around a curve.
‘There never was a finer human being in every way. He was the leader of our family both intellectually and emotionally, and he looked out for everybody.’
Crown made headlines earlier this month after pledging to leverage his national influence and work with other businessmen to combat crime in his home city Chicago.
The members-only Aspen Motorsports Park is pictured
As one of the city’s wealthiest residents, he lead the city’s Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
The tycoon’s family was ranked the 34th richest in America by Forbes in 2020 with an estimated worth of $10.2 billion.
His fighting plan aimed to reduce the number of killings in Chicago to fewer than 400 a year within five years.
Historically, the Civic Committee has not been involved in public safety matters,’ Crown said to Chicago Sun Times on Wednesday. ‘I gotta say this with real humility: We’re late to the conversation. We’re late to the understanding of some of these things.’
‘You’ve got altruism,’ Crown said. ‘But you’ve also got the enlightened self-interest of: I want to be safe, I want my workers to come to work, I want the tourists to patronize my business, whatever that might be.’
The Civic Committee spent six months researching and interviewing—collaborating with city leaders such as former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, former Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and more.
The strategy the committee focused on included job creation in high-risk areas, substantial funding for violence intervention programs, bolstering law enforcement agencies, and investing in disadvantaged communities.
Chicago has led the nation for the 11th straight year with the highest number of homicides of any city, according to a report published this year.
The city had 697 total homicides in 2022, higher than Philadelphia (516), New York City (438), Houston (435), and Los Angeles (382).
The last time Chicago had fewer than 400 homicides was in 1965.
Crown also served as the lead director of General Dynamics Corp., director of JPMorgan Chase, trustee of The Aspen Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Civic Committee, and the University of Chicago, as reported by the Aspen Times.
He was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served in President Barack Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
