Don Barden, owner of Majestic Star Casino in Gary, has died at his home in Detroit following a long battle with cancer.
Mr. Barden also owned casinos in Las Vegas, Black Hawk, Colo., and Tunica, Miss. In addition, Mr. Barden had holdings in cable television and real estate.
His death was announced by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing on Thursday. “Don was a stalwart leader and businessman in this community, as well as a friend. We were aware of his longtime illness and dreaded this day. We send our condolences to his family.”
Mr. Barden grew up in the Detroit suburb of Inkster and later moved to Lorain, Ohio, where he started a weekly newspaper and was elected to the Lorain City Council. He later returned to Detroit and in 1997 began unsuccessful efforts to obtain a casino license for Detroit.
