W.L. Lyons Brown Jr., former CEO of Brown-Forman Corp., died on June 9, the company announced. He was 87 years old. Brown was the great-grandson of the company’s founder, George Garvin Brown. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our esteemed former leader Lee Brown. His visionary leadership and commitment to our international expansion and long-term growth helped shape Brown-Forman into the global company it is today. His legacy will long be remembered and celebrated,” Brown-Forman CEO and President Lawson Whiting said in a release. Brown began his career at Brown-Forman in 1960 as a Sales Representative in its international division. During more than three decades at the company, he led Brown-Forman through a period of diversification and was instrumental in launching its export division, the release said.