James E Burke

As Johnson & Johnson’s chairman and chief executive from 1976 until his retirement in 1989, Mr. Burke oversaw a vast expansion of the company. Mr. Burke is best known for his handling of the Tylenol crisis in 1982, when seven people in the Chicago area died after taking capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol that had been laced with cyanide. Mr. Burke was a longtime resident of Princeton, N.J. Besides his son, he is survived by his wife of 31 years, Didi; a daughter, Clo Burke; a sister, Phyllis Burke Davis; and four grandchildren.