Edward E. Barr, the former CEO and Chairman of Sun Chemical who helped transform the company into the world’s largest producer of printing inks and graphic arts materials, passed away on February 13, 2026, at the age of 89. For more than four decades, Edward’s influence shaped not only Sun Chemical, but the global printing and packaging industries at large. After graduating at the top of his class from New York University’s School of Commerce (now NYU Stern), Edward attended Harvard Law School before opting to pursue a Master’s in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Edward joined Sun Chemical in 1962 as assistant to the president, but his rise through the organization was swift: group vice president, executive vice president of Packaging, and then president and COO by 1975. Barr’s son, Edward Barr, shared with Printing Impressions that when he joined the business, it was nearly “a cottage industry,” but that he saw an opportunity to be a change agent. Change came with his first decision to focus on the company’s business of core ink and pigment segments, this included the divestiture of non-core businesses. In 1982, he left the company for four years, but returned in 1987 and was named CEO. Sun Chemical was already a key player in printing inks and graphic arts materials, but under his leadership, it became a global powerhouse.
