Formerly the Vikings participant kills himself, wife

A wealthy Minnesota businessman who once owned part of the Minnesota Vikings was found dead Wednesday in an apparent killings, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Irwin Jacobs and his wife Alexandra, both 77, were found

A gun was found next to them, according to the report.

Longtime friend Dennis Mathisen told the newspaper that Irwin shot Alexandra and then pulled the trigger on himself.

Mathisen said the couple's son, Mark Jacobs, told him about the tragic details.

The couple's children issued a joint statement and said, "We are heartbreaked by this loss and we ask that our privacy be respected as we mourn during this very difficult time."

Alexandra, who was wheelchair bound for the past year , had recently shown signs of dementia that left her husband "confused about her condition," Mathisen told.

Irwin Jacobs bought and "liquidated failing companies with profit" to help build his fortune, which at one time in the 1[ads1]980s exceeded $ 200 million.

During his life, Jacobs also owned several businesses, including a Minneapolis-based beer company, a brewery and a piece of the Vikings.