Lewis Katz

Lewis Katz, 72, co-owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Daily News and Philly.com, as well as a major philanthropist in the Jewish world, was killed Saturday, May 31, in the crash of a private jet in Massachusetts. Katz died along with six other passengers in the accident.

Katz, together with Gerry Lenfest, had recently purchased the parent company of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News with an auction bid of $88 million.

Katz was a major donor to three Jewish Community Centers in South Jersey. In addition, the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill is named after his parents, Milton and Betty. He was also inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as a 2012 Pillar of Achievement honoree for his track record as a sports team impresario.

“Lewis Katz was an exceptional man, whose presence enriched the lives of everyone he came in contact with,”  Inquirer editor Bill Marimow told Philly.com. “He loved his family and his friends and they loved him back in return. We’ve lost a great friend.”

The site also quoted Lenfest as saying that Drew Katz, Lewis’ son, will replace his father on the board of the new company.