About Bill Wirtz
William Wadsworth Wirtz was the chief executive officer and controlling shareholder of the family-owned Wirtz Corporation. He was best known as the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League, who are part of Wirtz Corp's holdings. Wirtz also served as the Blackhawks' team president for over four decades. Overall, it is estimated that Bill Wirtz's personal holdings including stock in several companies (among them, Alberto-Culver and Firstar Bank) were worth about $3 to $4 billion. Bill Wirtz's youngest son Peter, who was serving as executive vice president of the Blackhawks, was initially the heir-apparent of the Blackhawks and became the new owner the next day after the senior Wirtz died. Ownership of the team was passed to Wirtz' oldest son Rocky, although Rocky had no prior direct involvement with the team. Wirtz sold the Holiday on Ice and Ice Follies for $12 million to Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions in 1979.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.