Drue Heinz, philanthropist, widow of Heinz CEO, dead at 103

PITTSBURGH — The widow of the former head of the H.J. Heinz Co. and a longtime patron of the literary arts has died. Drue Heinz was 103.

The Heinz family and The Heinz Endowments said she died Friday in Lasswade, Scotland.

Drue Heinz was known for her philanthropy and longtime support of the literary arts. She endowed a literature prize at the University of Pittsburgh and was closely involved in the Endowments’ initiative to develop Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall in 1971 and its efforts to create a downtown cultural district.

Heinz also served on the boards of many cultural organizations, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

She was the widow of H.J. Heinz II, who served as CEO of the family company founded by his grandfather. She also was the stepmother of John Heinz, a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania who was killed in a 1991 plane crash.