Lewis Katz, who bought the Nets from the Secaucus Seven ownership team in 1998 and also owned the New Jersey Devils for a time, died on Sunday in a plane crash near Boston that claimed the lives of him and six other people. Katz, who recently became co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, sold the Nets to Bruce Ratner in 2004, a transaction that spurred the team’s move to Brooklyn.
From the AP: “Former New Jersey Nets and Devils owner Lewis Katz, who just bought the Philadelphia Inquirer, was one of seven people killed in a fiery private jet crash in Massachusetts.
“Katz, a 72-year-old billionaire, made his fortune investing in the Kinney Parking empire and the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network in New York.
“He had owned the New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils, and was a major donor to Temple University, where he went to college.
“Katz and philanthropist Harold H.F. Lenfest bought The Inquirer, which operates the Philadelphia Daily News and the news website Philly.com, for $88 million.”
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