{"id":169749,"date":"2025-09-26T03:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T03:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/169749\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T03:32:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T03:32:14","slug":"edmonton-elks-owner-larry-thompson-dies-after-surgery-complications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/169749\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton Elks owner Larry Thompson dies after surgery complications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barely a year after buying the Edmonton Elks<\/a> football team, owner Larry Thompson<\/a> has passed away following complications from surgery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Thompson, former owner of Thompson Brothers Construction that he sold in 2023, was announced as the new private owner in August 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough I had the privilege of working with Larry for less than a year, his impact on me \u2014 and on our entire organization \u2014 was profound,\u201d EE president and CEO Chris Morris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLarry\u2019s toughness and direct nature were matched only by his genuine care for every person connected to the Double E. He led with clarity, courage, and an unwavering belief in people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will do everything in our power to carry his example with us as we rebuild this franchise in his honour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

The team said leading up to his death, Thompson suffered complications following surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe fought a hard battle for many weeks but the complications were too severe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:08
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEdmonton Elks introduce new owner Larry Thompson\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Over four decades with his Spruce Grove-based construction company, Thompson grew it to include 1,500 employees.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Get<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGet daily National news<\/p>\n

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019d loved Edmonton\u2019s football team since he started attending games at Clarke Stadium in 1972 when he was just 12 years old.<\/p>\n

The team, which has been community-owned since it was founded in 1949, reported a $3.3-million deficit in 2022 and was looking for private investment to stabilize its future. The sale of the team received unanimous support from the club\u2019s board of directors and the CFL\u2019s board of governors.<\/p>\n

\u201cLarry\u2019s legacy within the organization is immeasurable. Alongside his family, they are responsible for saving and stabilizing the franchise he held dear for over 50 years,\u201d the team said in a statement announcing his passing on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:06
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEdmonton Elks introduce new team owner Larry Thompson: \u2018It is truly an honour\u2019\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tGas prices are down. Here\u2019s why \u2014 and could they drop more soon?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s the link between alcohol and dementia? New study sheds light\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Edmonton\u2019s football club rebranded from the Eskimos to become the Elks in June 2021. When Thompson was asked if he was committed to keeping the Edmonton Elks name, he said they\u2019d be focusing on the \u201cDouble E\u201d name more.<\/p>\n

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said after speaking with Thompson about team branding, and both agree that the Double E \u2014 EE \u2014 is the way forward.<\/p>\n

The football club said in the wake of his death, ownership of the Edmonton Elks franchise will remain with Larry\u2019s wife Deb.<\/p>\n

The team said she is steadfast in her dedication to carry on Larry\u2019s vision to \u201crevive the Double E as a pillar in the Edmonton sports scene and a leader in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur family is devastated with the loss of our anchor,\u201d Deb Thompson said in a statement.\u00a0\u201cLarry was a legend and our family will continue his legacy far beyond our lifetimes.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cOwning EE was a life long dream, my only regret is he isn\u2019t here to enjoy it. I will continue to support the club and community as it has become my dream as well as of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team said the family wishes for privacy in their time of mourning. No funeral date has been announced.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tCFL Edmonton Elks new owner Larry Thompson and his wife Deb Thompson speak during a press conference in Edmonton, Alta., on Thursday August 15, 2024.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJason Franson\/ The Canadian Press\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barely a year after buying the Edmonton Elks football team, owner Larry Thompson has passed away following complications…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,13264,21626,43,13413,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-169749","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-edmonton-elks","10":"tag-edmonton-sports","11":"tag-headlines","12":"tag-larry-thompson","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-top-news","15":"tag-top-stories","16":"tag-topnews","17":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}