Anthony J F O'Reilly

Sir Anthony J. F. O’Reilly, a titan of Pittsburgh business after he became president of the H.J. Heinz Co. in 1973, has died in Dublin, Ireland, at the age of 88, his family announced Saturday. His death comes about eight months after that of his wife, Lady Chryssanthie “Chryss” O’Reilly, on Aug. 23 2024 in France. She was 73. O’Reilly was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his work in promoting peace in Northern Ireland through the Ireland Funds, a charitable organization he co-founded in the 1970s with Dan Rooney, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and former ambassador to Ireland. He built an international media business which at one stage owned more than 100 newspapers, including the Irish Independent and Belfast Telegraph. O’Reilly, who lived in Fox Chapel during his time in Pittsburgh, served as the first non-U.S. born leader of the food company that made Heinz ketchup a household staple.