E. W. Scripps II; News Empire Heir, Corporate Officer

Edward Willis Scripps II, grandson of the founder of the Scripps Howard news empire and a trustee of that organization, died Monday while flying from Hawaii to Australia. He was 57.

He was beginning a tour around the Pacific Ocean to gather information for the company’s editors, Scripps Howard said in a statement.

The company said it had no word immediately on the cause of death.

He was the youngest of three brothers serving as trustees of the E. W. Scripps Trust, created by company founder E. W. Scripps to hold ownership control of the privately held Scripps Howard company, based in Cincinnati.

Scripps was a former reporter for United Press, the wire service founded by his grandfather, and an officer of the company. He was the youngest of six children of Robert Paine Scripps and bore his grandfather’s name.

After a decade as a corporate officer, Scripps became a director of the company. He lived in Reno before moving to Honolulu. Along with his company duties, Scripps also was involved in other enterprises from movie making to an oceanic newsletter business.