美国亿万富翁办公室内开枪自杀 系行业先驱
纽约华人资讯网 Friday 2023/02/24 01:34 AM
综合foxbusiness和纽约邮报2月23日报道 警方消息称，亿万富翁、金融家和投资者托马斯·H·李（Thomas H. Lee）周四上午被发现在其位于曼哈顿的办公室内开枪自杀。
据消息人士称，警方于上午11点10分左右赶到了第五大道767号（767 Fifth Avenue），Thomas H. Lee Capital在该办公大楼的6楼。急救人员随后宣布这名78岁的商人当场死亡。首席法医办公室将确定其官方死因。
托马斯的家族朋友兼发言人Michael Sitrick在一份声明中表示，家人对托马斯的去世感到非常悲痛。众所周知，他是私募股权行业的先驱之一，也是一位成功的商人，与此同时，他还是一位尽职的丈夫、父亲、祖父、兄弟姐妹、朋友和慈善家，他总是把别人的需求放在第一位。
据介绍，托马斯被认为是第一批用被收购企业的贷款来收购公司的金融家之一，也就是现在所说的杠杆收购（a leveraged buyout）。这位哈佛大学毕业生于1974年创立了Thomas H. Lee Partners，并担任该公司的董事长兼首席执行官。
1992年，这位私募股权先驱收购了Snapple，并在两年后以17亿美元的价格将其出售，他在这笔交易中赚了32倍的钱。据《福布斯》报道，托马斯去世时的净资产估计为20亿美元。
据悉，托马斯还是一位著名的慈善家，特别是在艺术和教育方面。他是纽约几个艺术机构的受托人，包括林肯表演艺术中心（the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts）、现代艺术博物馆（the Museum of Modern Art）和惠特尼美国艺术博物馆（the Whitney Museum of American Art）。
1996年，托马斯向母校哈佛大学捐赠了2,200万美元，这是该校迄今为止在世校友捐赠的最大一笔资金。他一生热爱慈善，并在2014年获得了UJA联合会的奖项。
报道称，托马斯与妻子Ann Tennenbaum结婚27年，两人共育有5个孩子。
Statement from Family of Thomas H. Lee
NEWS PROVIDED BY
family friend and spokesperson, Michael Sitrick
Feb 23, 2023, 18:30 ET
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --
"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, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others' needs before his own. Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve."
From family friend and spokesperson, Michael Sitrick
SOURCE family friend and spokesperson, Michael Sitrick
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statement-from-family-of-thomas-h-lee-301755027.html
Billionaire financier Thomas H. Lee found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound in NYC office: sources
By Joe Marino, Tina Moore and Steven Vago Feb 23, 2023 6:42pm
Penthouse tied to Chinese exile Guo Wengui cuts price to $32.5M
Billionaire financier and investor Thomas H. Lee was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Manhattan office on Thursday morning, police sources said.
Cops responded to a 911 call at 767 Fifth Avenue — where Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC is located on the sixth floor — at around 11:10 a.m., the sources said.
EMTs pronounced the 78-year-old businessman dead at the scene.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.
“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, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others’ needs before his own,” Lee family friend and spokesperson Michael Sitrick said in a statement.
Thomas H. Lee, 78, was found dead at his Manhattan office from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Lee is credited with developing the leveraged buyout.
“Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve.”
A front desk worker at Lee’s office building was told there was an “emergency,” on the sixth floor, but was unaware of Lee’s death.
“They don’t want anyone going to that space right now, not even the building staff,” the man said.
Lee is credited with being one of the first financiers to purchase companies with money borrowed against the business being bought — what is now called a leveraged buyout.
The Harvard graduate founded Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. in 1974, serving as the chairman and CEO of the company and its predecessors.
In 1992, the private equity pioneer bought Snapple and sold it two years later for $1.7 billion, making 32 times his money.
But not everything always went according to plan.
Michael Milken, Thomas Lee, Peter Thoren and Cliff Robbins attend Dinner At Daniel Benefitting The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) at Daniel in Nov. 2022.
In 1999, Lee led a deal for what was renamed Vertis Communications, the fifth-largest North American printer. By 2006, when many peers had expanded to offer other services, such as marketing, it dropped to ninth since it did not have the money to do the same. Vertis filed for bankruptcy in 2008.
Lee and his longtime partners split in 2005 with Thomas H. Lee Partners being run by Scott Sperling, and Lee left to form Lee Equity Partners in 2006, where he served as chairman until his death Thursday.
At the time of his death, Lee’s net worth was estimated to be $2 billion, according to Forbes.
Lee was a known philanthropist, particularly for the arts and education. He sat as a trustee for several Big Apple art organizations, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Lee with his his wife of 27 years, Ann Tennenbaum.
An oceanfront mansion in the Hamptons owned by Lee in 2008.
“I’ve been lucky to make some money. I’m more than happy to give some of it back,” Lee said in 1996 after donating $22 million to his alma mater Harvard University, one of the school’s largest gifts ever from a living alumnus.
For his lifetime of philanthropy, he received the UJA-Federation’s award — named after Jack Nash, a financier who helped create the modern hedge fund business — in 2014.
Lee leaves behind his wife of 27 years, Ann Tennenbaum. He is survived by his children Jesse, Zach, Nathan, Robbie, and Rosalie, as well as two grandchildren.
A woman who answered the phone at Lee Equity Partners declined to comment Thursday afternoon.
What do you think? Post a comment.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Additional reporting by Josh Kosman
