Tom Hicks, former owner of Liverpool and Texas Rangers, dies at 79

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Texas billionaire Tom Hicks, who owned an Premier League football club and two Dallas-based professional sports teams, has died aged 79, his company said.Hicks died surrounded by family in Dallas on Saturday, according to a statement released by Hicks Holdings LLC.The 79-year-old philanthropist owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars from 1995 to 2011, during which time the team won the 1999 Stanley Cup. He also owned MLB’s Texas Rangers from 1998 to 2010, and the club reached the World Series in his final year with the team.However, his involvement with Liverpool was much more turbulent than his ventures in the US.

Hicks and Gillett were widely unpopular with Liverpool fans as questions were raised over their leadership and financial stewardship, and they were eventually forced to sell the club to Fenway Sports Group in 2010, ushering in an era of success for the Reds.Liverpool paid tribute to Hicks on Sunday. “LFC sends its condolences to the Hicks family and Tom’s friends at this difficult time,” the club said in a statement.Jerry Jones, the owner of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, called Hicks a “champion of sports.”“Tom was a close friend and a great partner.

My heart goes out to his family.”Hicks is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cinda Cree Hicks, six children and 14 grandchildren.His family members said in a statement that, of all Hicks’s achievements, his “most cherished title was ‘Dad’. No matter the trials and tribulations he faced in life, he was constant in his generosity and love for his family.”