ASPEN, COLORADO: James Crown, the billionaire businessman who pledged to make Chicago “the safest city in America” was killed in a tragic racetrack car crash in Aspen, Colorado, on Sunday, June 25. The accident took place after Crown’s vehicle hit an impact barrier while he was celebrating his 70th birthday at the members-only Aspen Motorsports Park.
“Mr. Crown was involved in a motor vehicle crash at the Woody Creek racetrack resulting in fatal injuries,” the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Chief Deputy Coroner Audra Keith said an official cause of death is currently pending an autopsy. However, she mentioned that “multiple blunt force trauma is evident” in a death which likely happened in an accidental manner. Crown is survived by his wife Paula Ann Hannaway, his parents, as well as four children.
What is known about Paula Hannaway?
While Crown was a business tycoon and billionaire, his wife is a businesswoman in her own right. Hannaway was reportedly born in January 1959 and received a bachelor's degree in management science at Duke University, in 1980, The Sun reported. She went on to earn a master's degree at the School of Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Hannaway married Crown in 1985 and became a key member of his family’s business empire.
Three years after their wedding, the former helped establish the Lester Crown Endowment for Lectures in Ethics. She also welcomed four kids with Crown over their years together as a married couple. Hannaway was nominated to the executive committee of the Chicago Community Trust in 2006 and currently serves on the boards of the MOMA, Children's Memorial Hospital, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
‘The Crown family is deeply saddened’
In the wake of Crown’s death, his family asked people to respect their privacy. “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 told the Aspen Times. “Further details regarding plans for a memorial to remember Jim's remarkable life will be released at a later date,” they added.
Speaking about the tragic accident, Crown’s father Lester 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.”
