J. Thomas Madden, the chief risk officer for Federated Investors who once served as the public face of the Pittsburgh investment firm, died Thursday morning following a car accident on I-279 North on his way to work. He was 63.

Mr. Madden was near the McKnight Road exit about 8 a.m. when witnesses said his car veered off the roadway onto the berm and came to a stop. Motorists saw him collapse and called for medical help. He was pronounced dead at 8:54 a.m. at Allegheny General Hospital.

An autopsy will be performed to determine if a medical emergency may have lead to the car crash, according to the medical examiner.

"He was one of those huggy bear types," said Chris Donahue, CEO of Federated Investors. "He was a big guy with a lot of power in his voice and lot of warmth in his heart. He was a unique blend of erudite and affable."

From around the mid-1990s until about five years ago, Mr. Madden was a spokesperson for Federated Investors, often appearing on CNBC, Bloomberg and local television and print media commenting on financial markets and news.

As one of the earliest managers of high-yield funds in the country during the 1970s, the Franklin Park resident was a pioneer in the junk bond market and operated one of the top performing funds in the country.

At one time a loan made by his bond fund that was collateralized by thousands of railroad box cars went sour, and he ended up owning more railroad box cars than possibly anyone in the world, but could never track down all the box cars because they were always rolling.

Colleagues teased him about that one for years, Mr. Donahue said.

"He was clearly one of the most eloquent and articulate investment advisers I've ever known," said Bill Dawson, vice chairman of Federated. "He was a real student of the market, a real intellectual.

"Barnes and Noble is going to miss their No. 1 customer."

During his 31 years at Federated, he became respected as an avid reader and was famous for sharing bits of wisdom that became known as Tom Maddenisms, such as "It takes a lot of money to raise a quality child" and "You couldn't make that up," which he would say in reference to the freakish turn of events in last year's economic turmoil.

"He had a stroke seven years ago and one of his great contributions was showing the community here how to respond with affability," Mr. Donahue said. "He didn't let it get him down.

"It put a hitch in his giddyup, but not in his spirit. When you see guys like that you know they have character."

Mr. Madden graduated from Columbia College in New York in 1968 and the University of Virginia's Colgate Darden School in 1973. He is a certified financial analyst and former president of the Pittsburgh Society of Financial Analysts.

Mr. Madden is survived by his wife of 40 years, Lois Madden; a daughter, Kristen Shaw of Manchester, England; and a son, Clarke Madden of Harrisburg.