Lord Wedgwood, Fourth Baron Wedgwood and direct descendent of Josiah Wedgwood I, the 18th century father of English pottery, died from cardiac failure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on January 29. He was 59. 

Lord Wedgwood devoted his working life to the art and industry of English ceramic manufacturing and was an active global brand ambassador for the present Wedgwood business, helping to open new markets in India, China and Russia. He remained passionate about the ceramic business and was excited to see a 255-year legacy of great innovation and design adapt and thrive in the modern age.

“Lord Wedgwood was a true English gentleman,” said Pierre de Villeméjane, CEO of WWRD, the holding company of Wedgwood. “The Wedgwood family has lost a passionate visionary, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know and work with Piers have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.”

Born September 20, 1954, on his family’s farm in Kenya, Piers Anthony Weymouth Wedgwood assumed the Wedgwood legacy at age 16 upon the death of his father in 1970. Above all, it was the Wedgwood ceramic business that was Lord Wedgwood’s passion. He started at the firm, based in England’s famed Potteries area of Stoke-on-Trent, in his teens cleaning the pottery kilns and learning the production methods. It was soon clear, however, that his natural charm, enthusiasm and uncanny resemblance to his ancestor Josiah made him the ideal spokesman for Wedgwood.  

For more information, visit www.wedgwood.co.uk.