American Express president dies suddenly on flight

American Express (AXP) says president Ed Gilligan died suddenly Friday after falling ill while flying on a corporate plane to New York.

The company says the 55-year-old executive was coming back from a business trip. It said the plane made an emergency landing.

Gilligan "became seriously ill on a flight home to New York," Kenneth Chenault, the company's chairman and CEO, wrote in a letter to American Express employees.

Gilligan began working at American Express Co. 35 years ago as an intern and became president of the credit card company in 2013.

The company says he is survived by his wife and four children.