Former Vikings part-owner was ‘upbeat’ days before ‘killing his dementia stricken wife and himself’

Former Vikings part-owner was ‘upbeat’ days before ‘killing his dementia stricken wife and then himself’ inside their $22million Minnesota mansion

  • Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs, both 77, were found dead in their home Wednesday
  • Irwin ‘was upbeat and seemed up’, family friend Dennis Mathisen says 
  • Alexandra was wheelchair bound and ‘showing signs of dementia’, he added 
  • The couple’s children confirmed their parents’ deaths in a statement 
  • Irwin had a stake in the Vikings in the 1980s before selling his share 
  • Known as a corporate raider who bought underperforming companies at a profit 
  • The couple, who lived in Orono, were married for 57 years and had five children

The prominent Minnesota businessman thought to have killed his dementia stricken wife and then himself inside their $22million mansion appeared ‘upbeat’ in the days before their deaths, loved ones have said. 

Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs, both 77, were found dead in their bed in their Orono home Wednesday, reportedly lying next to a handgun. 

Long time family friend Dennis Mathisen told The Star Tribune: ‘He was upbeat. I talked with his son Mark yesterday, and he talked to both of them. He said Irwin seemed up.’

Irwin’s wife for 57 years and mother to their five children, ‘had been in a wheelchair for the last year or so and had signs of dementia. Irwin was just distraught over her condition’, he said. 

The couple’s children confirmed their parents’ deaths in a short statement Wednesday. 

They said: ‘We are heartbroken by this loss, and we ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.’ 

Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs’ children confirmed their parents’ deaths in a short statement issued Wednesday. They were found dead in a bed in their home that day 

The couple were found inside their sprawling $22 million mansion in Orono on Wednesday morning

Irwin is thought to have killed his dementia stricken wife and then himself inside their $22million mansion, pictured. He was ‘upbeat’ in the days before his death, loved ones say

Irwin Jacobs, 77, had a stake in the Vikings in the 1980s before selling his share. 

He gained notoriety nationally in the 1980s as a corporate raider who bought out under-performing companies at a profit. He was known to some as ‘Irv the Liquidator.’ 

Jacobs also owned household products company J.R. Watkins Co. for more than 40 years.

According to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs’s Tanager Hill estate shortly after 8.30am and discovered the bodies of a man and a woman in a bedroom. 

According to Mathisen, Irwin fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself. 

Over the years, Irwin served as CEO of several large corporations, including the now-bankrupt US boat-building giant Genmar Holdings. 

His son Mark, a graduate of Brown University, has served as CEO of Watkins Co since 1998.  

The couple had been married for 57 years and raised five children together

The couple had been married for 57 years and raised five children together

Irwin had a stake in the Vikings in the 1980s, when he gained notoriety as a corporate raider who bought out underperforming companies at a profit

He also owned household products company J.R. Watkins Co. for more than 40 years

The 77-year-old Irwin Jacobs had a stake in the Vikings in the 1980s, when he gained notoriety as a corporate raider who bought out underperforming companies at a profit.

A family friend said Jacobs was distraught over the health of his wife of 57 years, who was showing signs of dementia

The family friend said Jacobs (pictured in 2000) was distraught over the health of his wife of 57 years, who was showing signs of dementia

Law enforcement outside the couple's home in Orono Wednesday

Law enforcement outside the couple’s home in Orono Wednesday 

He and Alexandra, who was an artist, had been married for 57 years and raised five children together. Their daughter Sheila has cerebral palsy and the family were said to have been major donors to the Special Olympics.

In 2014, the family put their rambling hilltop estate on the market with a listing price of $22million, making it the second most expensive listing in the Twin Cities area at the time.

The 32-acre property features a 13,000-square-foot main house, a guesthouse, a pool house and other structures.

Speaking to the Star Tribune about his desire to downsize, Jacobs said of his six-bedroom, 10-bath abode that he had owned for more than 4 decades: ‘I really thought I’d die here, but I didn’t want to burden my wife if something happened to me.’

Jacobs ultimately took the house off the market.

A friend told The Star Tribune: ‘They were soul mates. They held hands, worked together and adored one another.

 

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