Billionaire New York financier Thomas H. Lee, 78, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
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Billionaire New York City financier Thomas H. Lee is found dead inside his Fifth Avenue office: Police discover investor, 78, with self-inflicted gunshot wound
A billionaire financier and investor has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his office in New York City.
The death of Thomas H. Lee, 78, was confirmed by his family in a statement released on Thursday.
Police discovered Lee’s body around 11:10 a.m. at his Fifth Avenue office in Manhattan, where his Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC business is located.
Thomas H. Lee and Anna Nikolayevsky attend the Lincoln Center Fall 2016 Gala on November 1, 2016 in New York City. Lee was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thursday
Lee, who was a friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, pictured with the former president years ago.
Lee, who founded the firm in 1974, is credited with being an early pioneer in private equity and specifically leveraged buyouts.
The businessman’s firm bought Snapple in 1992 and sold it two years later for $1.7 billion.
He has been married twice, first to Barbara Fish Lee, whom he divorced in 1995. His second wife was Ann Tenenbaum of Savannah, Georgia. Lee has five children.
He was a good friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. In June 2008, following Hillary’s failed presidential bid, the couple reportedly stayed at Lee’s East Hampton home.
Family friend and spokesman Michael Sitrick released a statement on behalf of the family:
‘The family is extremely saddened by Tom’s death. While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, and philanthropist who always put the needs of others before the needs of others. his. Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve.”