A part owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder passed away on Thursday less than 24 hours after he was indicted on a violation of antitrust laws.
Aubrey McClendon, former CEO of Chesapeake Energy, was 56 years old. He died in a single-car crash that took place at around 9 a.m. Thursday morning. The Oklahoma City Police Department confirmed his identity on Twitter earlier this afternoon.
The victim in this morning's fatal crash has been identified as 56-year-old Aubrey McClendon. https://t.co/JRCvrublhh
— Oklahoma City Police (@OKCPD) March 2, 2016
Here's another look at the Aubrey McClendon crash. Looks to have hit the bridge very hard. pic.twitter.com/hQ5WqNySaE
— Ben Smith (@bjaminsmith) March 2, 2016
McClendon issued a statement yesterday that vehemently denied charges of rigging bids for the purchase of oil and natural gas leases in Northwest Oklahoma, USA Today reports. He left Chesapeake Energy, which owns naming rights to the Thunder’s arena, to found American Energy Partners in 2013.
Oklahoma City Police Captain Paco Balderrama provided details on the horrific and suspicious crash during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Ben Casselman, chief economics writer of fivethirtyeight.com, offered his thoughts on the “larger than life” businessman’s stunning overall impact on the oil industry in a series of must-read tweets.
I'm not sure it's possible to overstate how important a figure Aubrey McClendon was in the history of U.S. energy. (1/?)
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) March 2, 2016
He wasn't the first to figure out fracking, but he saw earlier than anyone else how it would change the industry. (2)
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) March 2, 2016
Was he reckless? Hell yes. I always used to say he'd either build an energy giant or run it off a cliff. Turns out, he did both. (7)
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) March 2, 2016
"Larger than life" is an overused term, but Aubrey was larger than life, for good or ill. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss him. (/end)
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) March 2, 2016
McClendon owned approximately 20 percent of the Thunder. He was part of the controversial ownership group that moved the franchise from its longtime home of Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Our thoughts are with McClendon’s family, friends, and the entire Thunder organization during this difficult time.
(h/t USA Today)
