Leona Helmsley died this morning in Connecticut. Better known as the “Queen of Mean” for the way she treated her employees, Helmsley reportedly died of heart failure. She was 87. According to her publicist, Helmsley was not in pain when she passed away at her summer home in Greenwich.
Which is not to say that her life was void of suffering. The billionaire made headlines in the late 80s during her trial for tax evasion. That’s when she uttered the now infamous phrase: “Only little people pay taxes.” The line stuck with her for decades and made her a household name (thanks in large part to the ongoing parodies of her on “Saturday Night Live.”) and inspired a 1990 TV movie about her. In the film Suzanne Pleshette portrayed Helmsley as an unsympathetic, self-absorbed entrepreneur.
You’ll recall that after marrying real-estate magnet Harry Helmsley in 1972, the Brooklyn native helped him operate more than $5 billion worth of holdings, including the Empire State Building. In addition, the wealthy couple also owned a nine-room penthouse with a swimming pool overlooking Central Park atop their own Park Lane Hotel; the multi-million dollar estate in Connecticut (where Helmsley passed away); a condo in Palm Beach; and a mountaintop hideaway near Phoenix.
When her husband Harry died in 1997, Leona became the sole owner of all the aforementioned properties. However, they could never replace her beloved spouse. Shortly after Harry’s passing, Leona told news reporters: “My fairy tale is over. I lived a magical life with Harry.” Following her husband’s death, Leona lived a life of seclusion, rarely appearing at social functions.
Despite dropping out of the public eye, Helmsley still remained one of the wealthiest people on the planet. In fact earlier this year, Forbes magazine ranked her as the 369th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion.
Helmsley is survived by her brother, four grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
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