Jim Irsay’s brother, Thomas Irsay, was born with a mental disability and passed away in 1999.
Longtime Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay tragically passed away on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 65.
While the Colts did not reveal Irsay’s cause of death, fans posted about his past claims of drug overdose on social media.
In a statement released by the Colts, chief operating officer Peter Ward said,
“We are devastated to announce our beloved Owner & CEO, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon. Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed,”
Jim Irsay
Jim’s journey with the Colts started in 1972, when his father, Robert Irsay, acquired the team.
He took sole ownership of the team in 1997 and led it to numerous division titles and the city’s first Super Bowl Championship.
Irsay was named the youngest general manager in team history in 1984 when the Colts moved to Indianapolis.
Outside football, Irsay invested significantly in music and memorabilia with The Jim Irsay Collection.
In 2021, Guitar Magazine characterized Irsay as the owner of “the greatest guitar collection on Earth.”
Jim Irsay Joins His Sister, Roberta, And Brother, Thomas, In Death
Jim Irsay grew up with his two siblings, Roberta and Thomas Robert Irsay.
Irsay’s elder sister, Roberta Jean Irsay, was born in 1957 in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Jim faced a tragedy at 12 when his sister, Roberta, was killed at age 14 on Tuesday, May 11, 1971, in an automobile accident on I-294 outside Chicago.
Visitation was held on Wednesday, May 12, 1971, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Iturucial Waka Service, AL 1-8200.
Funeral service was held on Thursday, May 13, 1971, at 10 a.m. at Saints Faith, Hope and Charity Catholic Church, 191 Linden Street, Winnetka, Illinois 60093.
As per the source, her father didn’t attend her funeral services.
On the other hand, Jim Irsay’s elder brother, Thomas Robert Irsay, was born on June 2, 1954, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a severe mental disability and was institutionalized for much of his life.
He lived in a Florida facility until he died in 1999 at the age of 45. At the time, Jim was 40.
Thomas stayed out of the media spotlight throughout his life, so little is revealed about his personal life.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Jim Irsay met his girlfriend Michelle Paul in June 2022, when she was living in Los Angeles. She came into his life to help Irsay with holistic health.
- Irsay was born in Lincolnwood, Illinois, and was the son of Harriet and Chicago businessman Robert Irsay. His father was from a Hungarian Jewish family, and his mother was the daughter of Polish Catholic Immigrants.
- He attended high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb just north of Chicago, and at Mercersburg Academy ’78 in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. After high school, he graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism.
- On June 20, 2019, Jim paid a record $3.975 million for a guitar called The Black Strat, formerly owned by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.
