Former Milwaukee Bucks owner Herb Kohl has died.
The Herb Kohl Foundation announced the news that Kohl passed away on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 88 after a brief illness.
“Throughout his life, Herb Kohl always put people first — from his employees and their families to his customers and countless charitable organizations and efforts,” the statement from the foundation read in part, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Herb Kohl Way isn’t just the name of a street in front of the Fiserv Forum. The Herb Kohl Way perfectly sums up a legacy of humility, commitment, compromise, and kindness to countless people he worked with, served and helped along the way. Those values will live on through his Foundation.”
A native of Milwaukee, Kohl rose to prominence as the founder (along with his father and brother) of the Kohl’s department store chain. He also served four terms in the United States Congress from 1989-2013 as a Democratic senator from Wisconsin.
Kohl became the owner of the Bucks in 1985 when he purchased a majority share in the team from then-owner Jim Fitzgerald. The purchase by Kohl, for a sum of $18 million, helped ensure the Bucks would stay in Milwaukee. While he sold his majority share in 2014 to Wes Edens and Marc Lasry (for a then-NBA record of $550 million), Kohl retained a minority interest in the Bucks until his death, including during the team’s NBA title victory in 2021.
Edens still serves as co-owner of the Bucks, but Lasry recently sold his stake in the team to a notable current NFL owner.
