John Berylson, the principal owner of Championship side Millwall, was killed in a car accident in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Police said Berylson lost control of his Range Rover shortly before 8 a.m. in the coastal town of Falmouth, on Cape Cod. Berylson’s car careened off the road and overturned, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Berylson was 70, and leaves behind a wife and three children.
“John’s sudden and tragic passing will unquestionably impact all those who were fortunate to have known him,” Millwall said in a statement. “He was a truly great man, incredibly devoted to his family, and a person of such remarkable generosity, warmth, and kindness.”
Berylson, the founder of a Massachusetts-based private-equity firm, first became involved with Millwall in 2006, and became the club’s principal owner one year later.
The players pay tribute.
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) July 6, 2023
Under his leadership, Millwall earned promotion from League One to the Championship in the 2009-10 season. After relegation five years later, Millwall was promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Millwall finished eighth in the Championship in the 2022-23 season, the club’s best finish during Berylson’s time as owner.
Millwall CEO Steve Kavanagh said in a statement that Berylson was “the best club owner I have ever worked with, and I would argue strongly that he was the best chairman of any club in this country.”