A 70-year-old member of the Crown family that owns the Aspen Skiing Company died over the weekend in a vehicle crash on his birthday at the Aspen Motorsports Park.

Billionaire businessman James Crown, of Chicago, a part-time resident of Pitkin County, was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Sunday at the racetrack in Woody Creek, a members-only facility where he was celebrating his birthday.

The vehicle Crown was driving hit a barrier, according to the Pitkin County Coroner. Crown likely died from blunt force trauma, chief deputy coroner Audra Keith stated in a news release Sunday night.

Pitkin County Sheriff’s deputies were investigating the crash and the events that led up to it but on Monday declined to say what happened. They did not identify the type of vehicle Crown was driving, whether it failed, the nature of the activity at the track, whether other people were involved, and whether there was anybody else in the vehicle when it crashed.

“That is all part of the investigation,” Pitkin County Sheriff’s chief deputy for operations and spokesman Parker Lathrop said.

The crash happened “before 3 p.m.,” Lathrop said, and agencies involved in the investigation include the Colorado State Patrol.

An accident report eventually will be released, likely around the end of next week, he said.

In recent years, the private racetrack at Woody Creek has not hosted organized races, he said, characterizing the facility as similar to a private go-kart track.

Members of this motorsports club can drive vehicles available at the track, or bring their own, Lathrop said. The barriers around the racing course are made of earthen material and concrete, he said.

Crown served as the chief executive of Henry Crown and Company, a multi-billion dollar enterprise that owns the Aspen Skiing Company. He also served as a longtime board member for JPMorgan Chase and directed the board of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company. Under President Barack Obama, Crown served as a member of the president’s intelligence advisory board. He also was chairman of the Aspen Institute, which hosts an ideas festival each summer.

“Jim’s commitment to the Aspen Idea – mind, body and spirit – was
reflected in his leadership of the county’s largest employer, the
local boards he served on, and his philanthropic work,” a statement from county manager Jon Peacock said.

“Jim’s leadership helped preserve the qualities that make our community so
special while having an eye on how the Aspen Idea could be manifested
in the future.  Our deepest condolences to the family.”