Medical Examiner: Irwin Jacobs, Wife Died In Murder-Suicide

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs were found dead Wednesday in their Orono home. The Hennepin County medical examiner has confirmed the well-known Minnesota entrepreneur and his wife died in a murder-suicide.

Officials say Alexandra's death was ruled a homicide, and Irwin's manner of death was suicide. Both died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Irwin Jacobs, 77, was known for buying failing companies and turning them around for a profit.

A talented painter and sculptor, 77-year-old Alexandra Jacobs was not only a generous donor to the Minnetonka Center for the Arts but a familiar face. A workspace in the Center's stone carving area is still marked with her name.

It's not only a loss for the Art Center but the Special Olympics, too. Irwin served as the chairman of the World Summer Games when it was hosted in Minnesota in 1991.

The Jacobs family released a statement Wednesday night saying they are shocked, devastated and heartbroken by the loss of their parents.