What is Mike Ilitch?
[[File:Mike Ilitch.jpg|thumb|Ilitch in June 2011]] '''Michael Ilitch Sr.''' (July 20, 1929 &ndash; February 10, 2017) was an [[Americans|American]] [[entrepreneur]]. He was the [[founder]] and owner of the international [[fast food]] [[franchise]] [[Little Caesars]]. He also owned the sports teams [[Detroit Red Wings]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) and [[Detroit Tigers]] of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). From 1994 until her death in 2005, Ilitch paid [[Rosa Parks]]' rent to help her live in a safer part of Detroit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2014/02/24/Champions/Ilitch-Rosa-Parks.aspx|title=Ilitch aids civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, others|last=Botta|first=Christopher|date=February 24, 2014|website=Sports Business Daily|access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref> Ilitch was born in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. His parents were [[Macedonians|Macedonian]]. He was married to [[Marian Ilitch]] from 1955 until his death. The couple had seven children. Ilitch died on February 10, 2017, at a hospital in Detroit. He was 87.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/2017/02/10/ilitch-detroit-pizza-red-wings-tigers-hockey-forbes/91475642/|title=Tigers, Red Wings owner and pizza titan Mike Ilitch dead at 87|work=Detroit Free Press|first1=John|last1=Gallagher|first2=Bill|last2=McGraw|date=February 10, 2017|access-date=February 10, 2017}}</ref> ==References== {{Commons category}} {{Reflist}} {{US-bio-stub}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilitch, Mike}} [[Category:1929 births]] [[Category:2017 deaths]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Detroit]] [[Category:Disease-related deaths in Michigan]]