Lifelong NYer Leonard Lauder, Among World’s Richest People, Dies

Leonard Lauder, the billionaire businessman who helped turn his family’s cosmetics company into a global beauty empire, has died.

Leonard Lauder

The 92-year-old Lauder’s death came on Saturday, June 14, at his home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to a statement from the Estée Lauder Companies, the business his parents founded and he helped transform into a multibillion-dollar giant.

The Bronx-born executive formally joined the company in 1958.

Over the next six decades, he shaped the company’s identity, launched best-selling brands including Clinique and Aramis, spearheaded international expansion, and orchestrated acquisitions.

His imprint on the global beauty industry is nearly unmatched.

Lauder was ranked among the richest people on the planet. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $32.3 billion in 2021.

Lauder served as CEO from 1982 to 1999 and Chairman until 2009. He remained Chairman Emeritus and an influential figure at Estée Lauder Companies until his death, often visiting stores and mentoring employees.

His son, William P. Lauder, Chair of the Estée Lauder Companies Board of Directors, said in a statement that, “My father worked tirelessly to build and transform the beauty industry, pioneering many of the innovations, trends, and best practices that are foundational to the industry today.

“He was the most charitable man I have ever known, believing that art and education belonged to everyone, and championing the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and breast cancer.

Above all, my father was a man who practiced kindness with everyone he met. His impact was enormous. He believed that employees were the heart and soul of our company, and they adored him and moments spent with him.”

Lauder was also a major philanthropist and art collector. He was a longtime patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he donated a historic collection of Cubist works and established the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art.

He also supported the Whitney Museum, his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and created a tuition-free nurse practitioner program at Penn with a $125 million donation.

His work in public health and disease prevention was equally impactful. He helped lead the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and was a key backer of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, founded by his late wife Evelyn Lauder in 1993.

Lauder was a Navy veteran, a graduate of Wharton and Columbia Business School, and a lifelong advocate of public service and civic dialogue.

He received numerous honors over his lifetime, including France’s Légion d’Honneur, the US Navy Supply Corps’ “Lone Sailor” Award, and induction into the World Retail Congress Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife Judy Glickman Lauder, sons William and Gary, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, his brother Ronald Lauder, and a wide extended family.

A private service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

or the

Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

.