James Crown, Chicago businessman and JPMorgan board member, dies at 70 after car crash at Colorado racetrack

James Crown, a wealthy Chicago businessman who served on the boards of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPM,
+0.24%
and General Dynamics Corp.
GD,
-0.14%,
died Sunday on his 70th birthday in a car crash at a Colorado racetrack, according to reports. In a statement, the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office, which is investigating the incident, said that Crown was “involved in a single-vehicle accident” at the Aspen Motorsports Park in Woody Creek, Colo., and said “multiple blunt force trauma is evident.” The crash was ruled an accident, the office said. Crown was the chief executive of the investment firm Henry Crown & Co. and was chairman emeritus of the Aspen Institute board of trustees. JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, in a memo to employees, said Crown, who held a spot on the bank’s board since 2004, played “a key role in helping our company navigate numerous business and economic challenges.”