NY public relations pioneer Daniel Edelman, behind celebrity endorsements, dies in Ill. at 92

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A New York native who built one of the world’s top public relations companies has died.

Daniel J. Edelman is credited with developing many of the methods now standard in the field such as the use of celebrity endorsements.

His son Richard Edelman says he died of heart failure Tuesday at a Chicago hospital. He was 92.

The company Daniel Edelman started more than 60 years ago with two people now employs more than 4,000 in 66 offices worldwide. His son runs it.

Daniel Edelman was a Columbia University graduate. He worked as a newspaper reporter and editor before he went into public relations. He first honed his public relations skills during World War II, while analyzing German propaganda.

The Edelman firm’s clients include Microsoft, Pfizer, Wal-Mart and Royal Dutch Shell.