Former Vikings part-owner Irwin Jacobs, wife found dead in apparent murder-suicide

By: Kenneth G.

A wealthy Minnesota businessman who once owned a share of the Minnesota Vikings was found dead Wednesday in an apparent murder-suicide, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Irwin Jacobs and his wife Alexandra, both 77, were found by cops dead in the bed of their $22 million Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota home.

A gun was found beside them, according to the report.

Longtime friend Dennis Mathisen told the newspaper that Irwin shot Alexandra, then pulled the trigger on himself.

Mathisen said the couple’s son, Mark Jacobs, told him about the tragic details.

The couple’s children released a joint statement, saying “We are heartbroken by this loss, and we ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”

Alexandra, who was wheelchair-bound for the last year, had recently showed signs of dementia which left her husband “distraught over her condition,” Mathisen told the paper.

Irwin Jacobs purchased and “liquidated failing companies at a profit” to help build his wealth, which at one point in the 1980’s exceeded $200 million.

Throughout his life, Jacobs also owned several businesses, including a Minneapolis-based beer company, a brewery and a piece of the Vikings.