American Express President and Vice Chairman Ed Gilligan died Friday morning unexpectedly after he became "seriously ill" on a flight back home to New York, according to a public letter from the company's Chairman and CEO Ken Chenault.
The details about where the flight originated from are not known, but Gilligan was traveling with other company executives and the flight made an emergency landing before its scheduled arrival in New York, according to an AMEX representative, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"This is deeply painful and frankly unimaginable for all of us who had the great fortune to work with Ed and benefit from his insights, leadership and enthusiasm," Chenault said in the memo to all employees. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Lisa, and their four children—Katie, Meaghan, Kevin and Shane. He was a proud husband and father, and his love for his family was evident in all that he did."
The company sent out the following message on Twitter:
With deepest sorrow we share that our President, Ed Gilligan has passed away. https://t.co/AXIcUzIsKP pic.twitter.com/etP1L4YBBe
— American Express (@AmericanExpress) May 29, 2015
Gilligan, 55, joined American Express as an intern when he was just 20 years old and worked his way to the top. He was named president of the company in 2013, according to Fortune.
