MYRTLE BEACH--Ashby Ward, a longtime leader of the tourism industry along the Grand Strand, has died at age 66, authorities said.

Ward, president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, had been a leader in the industry for three decades.

He was found dead at his home in Surfside Beach on Monday morning. He was found by family members when he failed to report to work, said Horry County Coroner Robert Edge Jr.

The cause of death was not immediately released, but Edge said he appeared to have died Sunday night, possibly from a heart attack. "Everything appears to be natural," Edge said.

No autopsy was planned.

Ward's family was in Florida at the time and was returning to the Grand Strand on Monday, Edge said. A native of Lake City, Ward is survived by his wife, Ann, three children and four grandchildren.

Tourism is South Carolina's largest industry and pumps $15 billion a year into the state's economy.