ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Roarty, the marketing executive behind many of the iconic advertising campaigns that turned Anheuser-Busch into a beer industry superpower, has died. He was 84.
The brewery and the funeral home handling arrangements confirmed that Roarty died Saturday from a heart attack suffered a day earlier at his home in the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country.
"Mike Roarty leaves a legacy at Anheuser-Busch for his brilliant marketing over many years selling the Budweiser, Michelob and other beer brands," Anheuser-Busch Vice President of Marketing Paul Chibe said in a statement Monday.
"He left an indelible mark at both Anheuser-Busch and in advertising history."
Roarty spent 43 years at Anheuser-Busch and was vice president of marketing from 1977 to 1990, retiring as executive vice president in 1994. During his tenure, the company's share of the U.S. market more than doubled, to 43 percent.
He oversaw campaigns such as Budweiser's "This Bud's for You," Busch Beer's "Head for the Mountains," Michelob's "Weekends Were Made for Michelob" and Bud Light's "Gimme a Light."
