Tyrone Fahner, former Ill. attorney general and head of Tylenol task force, dies at 81

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Former Republican Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner, died Monday, reports Chicago Tribune.

His career included leading a task force investigating the Tylenol murders, and serving as chair at the law firm Mayer Brown, where he was a legal mentor to former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Tribune reported.

Fahner, who was 81 also served as finance chairman for the state GOP and assisted in recruiting Republican candidates for office, according to Tribune.

He was best known as the face of the 200-member task force that investigated the 1982 deaths of seven Chicago-area residents from ingesting Tylenol cold capsules tainted with cyanide. As attorney general and in the midst of an election to keep the job, Fahner led daily news briefings as investigators sought to gather leads in the case. He was dubbed “Tylenol Ty” by statehouse denizens in Springfield, while Democrats accused Fahner of using the free airtime for political gain, Tribune reported.

“A mentor to many, Ty was a respected leader who guided the firm through a time of incredible growth and change. His dedication to the Chicago community through extensive civic and charitable work reflected his deep commitment to service. Ty’s legacy of leadership and friendship will be profoundly missed,” the law firm said in a written statement to Tribune.

Fahner also served on the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad from 2007 to 2023 as an appointee of President George W. Bush. He also served from 1988 to 1991 as an appointee of President Ronald Reagan to the Board of Foreign Scholarships, Tribune noted.