Magic Owner RICH DEVOS passed away today at the age of 92 "due to complications from an infection," according to Schmitz & Robbins of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. DeVos "took over as the Magic’s owner when he purchased the franchise" for $85M from Orlando real estate developer WILLIAM DUPONT III. In recent years, the DeVos family "restructured its Magic ownership group through estate planning," and the four children of Rich and HELEN DEVOS now "own the largest stakes in the franchise." One son, DAN, "serves as the team’s chairman and represents" the Magic on the NBA BOG. DeVos, who bought the team in '91 when its home was TD Waterhouse Centre, helped land a "new building that kept the franchise in town but not until after a tense battle." The project was "approved in the summer" of '07, and the $485M Amway Center opened in the fall of '10. DeVos "originally became familiar with the Central Florida area during Orlando’s drive to bring" an MLB team to town. The Magic in '16 inducted him into their HOF, and team officials have "estimated that their charitable organization, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, has given more than" $23M to local nonprofit community organizations "over the last 28 years" (ORLANDOSENTINEL.com, 9/6). Public visitation times and funeral arrangements for DeVos are “being finalized” (MLIVE.com, 9/6).
