Tragic news has just emerged that billionaire Thomas Lee has died, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to a report in the New York Post, Lee was found shot in his sixth-floor office at 767 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Thursday morning. Access to the office was kept to a minimum, with one building worker explaining that “They don’t want anyone going to that space right now, not even the building staff.”
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will provide an official cause of death in due course. Lee, who was 78 years old, was one of the first to profit from leveraged buyouts, a method of purchasing a company and then selling it for a profit. He founded Thomas H Lee Partners in 1974, which is now known as THL, and left it in 2005 to establish Lee Equity Partners in 2006, where he served as chairman until his death.
In a statement issued on behalf of the family, Michael Sitrick expressed their deep sorrow at Lee’s passing, saying that “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.”
Lee was considered a trailblazer in the private equity industry and a mentor to many young professionals. One of his most significant achievements was the purchase of Snapple for $135 million in 1992, which was later sold to Quaker Oats for $1.7 billion. His net worth was estimated to be around $2 billion, according to Forbes.
Lee was also known for his philanthropic endeavors, donating generously to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 1996, he donated $22 million to Harvard University, stating that “I’ve been lucky to make some money. I’m more than happy to give some of it back.”
In a 1997 profile, Forbes described Lee as “that rare thing on Wall Street—a genuinely nice guy.” THL, Lee’s former firm, paid tribute to him in a press release, describing him as an “iconic figure in private equity” who helped pioneer an industry and mentored generations of young professionals who followed in his footsteps.
The sudden death of Thomas Lee has shocked the business world, leaving many in the private equity industry mourning the loss of a true pioneer and a kind-hearted human being.
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Sources: WesternJournal, New York Post, Financial Times, CNN, Forbes
