DETROIT - Jerome York, a board member at Apple Inc., and a financial wizard who is credited with turning around Chrysler and IBM, died Thursday at the age of 71, The Detroit News reported.

York, who lived in suburban Detroit, was taken to POH Regional Medical Center in Pontiac on Tuesday night. The Wall Street Journal reported he suffered from a brain aneurysm.

York worked for all three Detroit automakers starting in the 1960s. He helped Chrysler survive its first government bailout in 1980 and later rose to chief financial officer and helped oversee cost cuts and a return to profitability. He made similar moves as IBM Corp.'s chief financial officer in the 1990s.

He also advised investor Kirk Kerkorian in a later takeover attempt of Chrysler and in efforts to reform General Motors.

As Chrysler's CFO, York helped restore the No. 3 U.S. automaker to profitability with cuts and asset sales. and was considered a potential successor to then-chairman Lee Iacocca. He left Chrysler to become IBM Corp.'s CFO in 1993.

York left IBM in 1995 to become vice chairman of Tracinda Corp., billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's investment company. Kerkorian teamed up with Iacocca and made an offer to buy Chrysler that same year. Kerkorian retreated the following year after winning a board seat at the company.

After Kerkorian bought up GM shares in 2006, York was named to the automaker's board. York supported an alliance with Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA, as well as ditching some GM brands. He resigned shortly after GM ended talks with Renault and Nissan.