Hilton's death was announced by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The New York Times reported.
Hilton died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles Times. Hilton served as chief executive officer of the Hilton hotel chain for 30 years. The Blackstone Group bought the chain for $26 billion in 2007, purchasing a chain that included 2,800 hotels with 480,000 rooms in 76 countries, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Barron Hilton, who built the Hilton brand into the best known and most successful name in the industry, has died https://t.co/WoWBwN50rc
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) September 20, 2019
In a statement, Hilton Hotels said, "the world of hospitality mourns for one of the greats."
"Barron Hilton was an incredible family man, business leader and philanthropist. From his leadership of our company for more than three decades to the transformative work he led with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for many years, Barron was a man unlike any other," Hilton Hotels' president and CEO, Christopher J. Nassetta said in the statement.
William Barron Hilton was born in Dallas on Oct. 23, 1927. He served in the Navy and was an entrepreneur before joining his father's company in 1951, working in the operations department, the Los Angeles Times reported. By 1954, he had been promoted to vice president.
Hilton was one of the charter owners in the American Football League, forming the Los Angeles Chargers when the league began play in 1960. Hilton moved the team to San Diego in 1961 after the franchise lost $900,000 in its inaugural season, and the Chargers won the 1963 AFL title, The New York Times reported.
The Chargers returned to their roots in 2017, becoming the Los Angeles Chargers again.
Dean Spanos, the current owner of the Chargers, said in a statement that Hilton was "a pioneering leader."
"A founding father and charter member of the upstart AFL’s sarcastically self-dubbed ‘Foolish Club,’ Barron was a pioneering leader, risk-taking entrepreneur, prolific philanthropist, devoted family man and, of course, anything but foolish," Spanos said. "Without Barron, there would be no Chargers."
Statement on the passing of founding Chargers owner Barron Hilton pic.twitter.com/ZmRqjj6NRQ
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 20, 2019
Paris Hilton tweeted Friday that her grandfather was "a visionary."
"His spirit, heart and legacy will live on in me," she tweeted.
I feel so grateful to have had such an incredible mentor. I always wanted to make him proud. The last conversation we had a few days ago I told him how much of an impact he had on my life. His spirit, heart and legacy will live on in me. pic.twitter.com/IXbXR9cXmO
— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) September 20, 2019
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