Founder of Little Caesars Dies at 87

Mike Ilitch also owned the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 11, 2017 11:18 AM CST
Founder of Little Caesars Dies at 87
Mike Ilitch, billionaire businessman, died this week at the age of 87.   (Carlos Osorio)

Billionaire businessman Mike Ilitch, who founded the Little Caesars pizza empire before buying the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, and won praise for keeping the professional sports teams in the city as others relocated to new suburban stadiums, has died. He was 87. His family released a statement saying Ilitch died Friday at a local hospital, the AP reports. They called him a visionary who set the tone for his company and his family. City leaders heaped praise on the man known simply as "Mr. I" to most in Michigan for all that he put into Detroit. " He was a Detroiter through-and-through," Mayor Mike Duggan said. "Mr. I helped to bring thousands of jobs and opportunities to our city." (More obituary stories.)

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