A number of notable Colorado residents, as well as some who made an impact on the state but didn’t live here anymore, died in 2024. From a famous developer who left a lasting legacy, to sports heroes, impactful politicians and longtime journalists — 2024 took many prominent people.
Here’s The Denver Gazette’s informal, and certainly not complete, list:
BUSINESS
John W. Madden
Noted Colorado developer John Worthington Madden Jr., 94, died peacefully on Jan. 19 at his home in Greenwood Village, the south Denver suburb he developed from the ground up during a development career that lasted over 60 years.
The John Madden Co. built more than 10 million square feet of office and mixed-use space, including forging the Denver Technological Center (DTC), Harlequin Plaza and Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. The latter came as an extension of the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA), in which he co-founded in 1981.
SPORTS
Allen Aldridge Jr.
Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos linebacker Allen Aldridge Jr. died at the age of 52 on Sept. 8 in Houston. No cause of death had been revealed as of December.