Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, died on Wednesday at age 65. He oversaw a relatively successful NFL franchise that won a Super Bowl under his watch. Before taking over as owner, Irsay's father, Robert, owned the team, and Jim worked in many facets with the organization.
Nobody should be defined only by what they did, though. Yes, he was undoubtedly the kind of owner who did not mind some personal publicity, but he was also open about his issues. This included battling addiction. In recent years, Irsay had several health issues, including severe respiratory illness and leg and back problems that stemmed from a fall.
According to Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward, in a team statement, Irsay passed away "peacefully" in his sleep.
Colts owner Jim Irsay's music collection was impressive
Again, though, Jim Irsay was so much more than an owner of an NFL team. He was also a lover of music and spent a lot of his money creating a private collection that would make many music lovers jealous. His guitar collection alone is massively impressive.
According to the Jim Irsay Collection site, Irsay owned the Stratocaster that Bob Dylan played during his famous appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Dylan played an electric set at the festival, upsetting many in the audience as they were used to traditional folk fare.
The collection also included the Gibson SG that George Harrison used when the Beatles recorded the Revolver album. Irsay paid $567,000 for the instrument, and the Colts' owner paid nearly $1 million for the previously mentioned Dylan guitar.
Irsay was also a fan of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. He owned two 1969 guitars that Gilmour worked with: a Fender Stratocaster and an acoustic C.F. Martin and Company D-35.
Guitars weren't the only instrument Irsay purchased. He owned a 1966 Yamaha Nippon Gakki alto saxophone that John Coltrane used, and a Miles Davis Martin Committee trumpet. He owned two pieces of clothing that James Brown wore: a red stage cape and stage-worn boots.
In other words, while Irsay might have owned an NFL franchise, he was also one of us. He loved music and made a point to invest in it. We should all be so lucky.