Jim Tyree Dead: President Obama Says Chicagoan Will Be 'Sorely Missed'

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are extending condolences to the family of James Tyree, a Chicago businessman with deep roots in Obama's hometown who died Wednesday.

Obama called Tyree "a quintessential Chicagoan" in a statement Thursday. The president said Tyree grew from humble roots, worked his way to the top "but never left the city behind."

Tyree helped lead Sun-Times Media Group Inc. out of bankruptcy. He died of complications from stomach cancer. He was 53.

Obama cited Tyree's role in rescuing the Sun-Times newspaper, as well as his work with non-profit groups and as a member of the board of the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Mrs. Obama used to work.

Obama said: "He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten."

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