• February 7, 2011

Jack Daly, SVP of corporate relations and chief communications officer for McDonald's Corp., died on Sat., Feb. 5, of cancer at his home in Hinsdale, Ill.  

Daly, who was 62, joined McDonald's in 1992 as VP of communications and was promoted to the SVP roles in 2002.  

"Through the depth of his thinking and strength of his insights, Jack helped guide McDonald's through some of our greatest successes and most difficult challenges, always with humility, calmness and grace," McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner said in a statement. Notably, Daly's leadership helped McDonald's realize a much-hailed PR comeback after the image damage of the book "Fast Food Nation" and the movie "Super Size Me."

Prior to joining McDonald's, Daly's career had included serving as VP, public affairs for Taco Bell, and in executive positions at Golin/Harris Communications. He at one point founded his own agency, J. Daly & Associates, which was subsequently acquired by Fahlgren & Martin Inc.