Former Islanders Owner Charles Wang Dies At 74
OYSTER BAY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Charles Wang, a technology company founder and former owner of the New York Islanders hockey team, died Sunday. He was 74.
Wang died in Oyster Bay on Long Island according to his attorney John McEntee in an emailed statement. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Wang "was an entrepreneur, visionary, author, and philanthropist but will be remembered most affectionately by those who knew him for his love of life, family, and friends," McEntee said in his statement.
The Islanders' current co-owner, Jon Ledecky, also released a statement on Wang's passing:
"We are heartbroken by the news of Charles Wang's passing. New York Islanders's co-owners Dewey Shay, Scott Malkin and I were privileged to be selected by Charles to be his partners in the team. Charles loved the Islanders unconditionally. The arena at Belmont Park will be just one of his many legacies left to the team and to Long Island. His unique personality, his wonderful sense of humor and his extraordinary wisdom will be greatly missed."
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Wang bought the Islanders in 2000 along with Sanjay Kumar, then the president of Computer Associates International, which Wang founded in 1976. He later bought out Kumar's stake in 2004. Kumar pleaded guilty in an accounting fraud scandal at the company in 2006 and served a prison term.
At the time of the Islanders purchase, Wang told The New York Times, "We want to make the New York Islanders the world-class sports franchise that our community deserves, wants and needs."
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Wang announced in 2014 that he was selling the team to the current group of investors in charge; a deal completed in 2016. Since then, he had been a minority co-owner.
Charles Wang is survived by his wife, children, mother, and brothers.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
