Chris Cline has tragically died at 60 years old after the helicopter he was riding in crashed after taking off from Grand Cay in the Bahamas around 2:00 a.m. on July 4. The helicopter was bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but was reported missing around 2:50 p.m. the next afternoon after it didn’t reach its destination, according to police. Officials were able to recover the aircraft and located the bodies of four females and three males inside. While they didn’t confirm the victims’ identities, friends revealed that Chris and one of his daughters, Kamron, were onboard. Here’s more to know about Chris:
1. What was his relationship with Elin? Chris was romantically linked to Elin Nordegren for several years after her split from Tiger Woods in 2009. The two were very private about their relationship, and while Elin admitted they were “close” during a 2014 interview, she also declined to discuss the nature of the romance. The two first met in 2011, after she purchased a property right next to his in Florida. They did charity work together during a trip to Haiti in 2012.
2. He was a billionaire. As of 2017, Chris’s net worth was estimated at nearly $2 billion. Coal mining began in Chris’s family with his grandfather, and in 1980, Chris’s father bought out his partner in their coal business and gave the shares to Chris. He excelled in the industry and was regarded as a big reason that the coal industry revived in Illinois. He is the founder of Cline Group and Foresight Reserves, which are both in the coal mining and energy industry.
3. He was married twice. Chris was first married to his first wife Sabrina until she tragically died from cancer in 1987. He re-married to a woman named Kelly in 1993, but they divorced just seven years later in 2000.
4. He had four kids. In addition to Kamron, Chris also had another daughter, Candice, and two sons, Alex and Christopher.
5. Where did he go to college? Chris attended Marshall University and has given back to the school in the years after he graduated. In 2014, the school’s indoor athletic practice facility was officially named the Chris Cline Athletic Complex.