Bob Rohrman, One Of Chicago's Most Beloved Car Dealers, Has Passed Away

Chicago's beloved car dealer, Bob Rohrman, has passed away at the age of 87. He is best known for his quirky and memorable television commercials with the iconic motto, "There's only one Bob Rohrman!"

WGN reported that he passed away on Tuesday night but the cause of death has not yet been released to the public.

Rohrman owned more than 30 car dealerships in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He was born in Lafayette and graduated from Lafayette Jefferson High School in 1952.

He began selling cars at a Ford Dealership in 1955 when he left the army, and by 1963 he owned his own business. He eventually grew that business into one of the area's largest networks of auto dealerships. Rohrman received the one of the state's highest honors, the Sagamore of the Wabash award, in 2019.

In his successes, Rohrman gave back to his community. He donated money to build a tennis complex for Lafayette Central Catholic High School. In addition, he provided funds to build the multimillion-dollar Performing Arts Center at Lafayette Jefferson Public High School.

This year, Purdue University gave the football field at Ross-Ade Stadium a new name in Rohrman's honor, calling it Rohrman Field. The Rohrman family gave the university $15 million in support of the athletic department.

Photo Credit: Getty