9:31 am, July 3, 2019
EX-CHRYSLER boss and Ford innovator Lee Iacocca has died at the age of 94 in Bel Air, California.
Iacocca put the Mustang in Ford’s line-up in the 1960s, and became a corporate folk hero two decades later when he resurrected Chrysler.
He was famous for his TV ads from that time, in which he said: ‘If you can find a better car, buy it!’
BREAKING: Report: Lee Iacocca dies at 94 https://t.co/b4fRuOfpkX pic.twitter.com/4quh01Ex5o
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 3, 2019
He had a 32-year career at Ford and Chrysler and helped launch some of Detroit’s most significant cars including the minivan, the Chrysler K-car and the Ford Escort.
Former Chrysler executives Bud Liebler and Bob Lutz, who worked with him, said they were told of the death on Tuesday by a close associate of Iacocca’s family.
The son of Italian immigrants, Mr Iacocca reached a level of celebrity matched by few auto moguls – peaking when he was courted as a presidential candidate for the 1988 election.
Mr Liebler, who worked for Mr Iacocca for a decade, said he had a larger-than-life presence that commanded attention: ‘He sucked the air out of the room whenever he walked into it. He always had something to say. He was a leader.’
In recent years Mr Iacocca was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but Mr Liebler was not sure what caused his death.
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