Former Suns owner Richard Bloch passes away at age 89

Former Suns president and controlling partner, Richard Bloch, passed away at age 89 on Saturday, according to the team.

Bloch was heavily involved in helping the Suns join the NBA in 1968 and bringing Jerry Colangelo in as the team’s first general manager.

Our deepest condolences are with the family & friends of founding Suns Partner, Richard Bloch, who passed away yesterday. pic.twitter.com/dkdGuBmPpr

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 30, 2018

“He was the individual who had enough faith and confidence in me as a very young guy in professional sports to hire me. So I’ve always felt like I owed so much to him for giving me that opportunity,” Colangelo said to ABC15.

“He was a dear friend, a business partner, and I will always be indebted. We lost a very fine man in Richard Bloch.”

Bloch was a graduate of The University of Chicago and attended graduate school at the University of Arizona.

He served in for the United States Army during the Korean War and funded a real estate development company in Arizona before becoming the majority owner of the Suns.

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