Leona Helmsley Dies

Leona Helmsley, the hotelier and real-estate tycoon, died yesterday (August 20, 2007) at the age of 87 in Greenwich, Connecticut.

She is well-known for a variety of things including a quote attributed to her, albeit perhaps erroneously, that “Only the little people pay taxes.”

It will be interesting to see the disposition of her $2.5 billion estate.  She is not survived by a spouse or children but instead only by a brother, four grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

See AP, Hotelier Leona Helmsley dies at 87, USA Today, Aug. 20, 2007.

Special thanks to Prof. Joel C. Dobris of the University of California-Davis for bringing her death to my attention.