Jim Crown with his mother Renée Crown in 2014 at the WTTW-WFMT public media center named in her honor.
“The Crown family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Jim Crown in an accident," the family said in a statement."The family requests that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. Further details regarding plans for a memorial to remember Jim’s remarkable life will be released at a later date.”, the crash happened at Aspen Motorsports Park and is still under investigation, though it has been determined to have been an accident.
"With his generosity, Jim truly embodied the soul of Chicago. I was especially grateful for his commitment to work collaboratively with my administration to build a safer Chicago, having met recently to share ideas. I send my deepest condolences to his wife, four children, grandchildren and the entire Crown family and pray for their peace," the mayor said.
After earning a B.A. in political science in 1976 from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, Crown went on to graduate from Stanford Law School in 1980, where he was a distinguished member of the Stanford Law Review and the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation.