Filed under: R.I.P.
1920 - 2007
Notorious hotelier and billionaire Leona Helmsley, who once served prison time for tax evasion and was often called the “Queen of Mean,” has died of heart failure. Leona, along with hubby, Harry, ran a $5 billion real estate empire, which included managing a little place known as the Empire State Building.
She is survived by many weary employees, a trunk full of red lipstick and eyebrow pencils, and a tombstone that reads, “Only the little people pay taxes.”
Posted by Candy ♦ August 20, 2007
At 11:22 am Greta said:
I read an obit that said she was a model in her younger days. Huh. Was she a hand model?? I would love to see a picture of what she looked like when she was young. Poor thing.
August 20, 2007
At 11:36 am Jen1984 said:
She modeled scary clown makeup.
August 20, 2007
At 8:32 pm Jo Jo said:
How could she die of heart failure when she didn’t have one?
August 20, 2007
At 7:24 am DD2 said:
I guess there must be a lot of very innocent holy people out there to be SO heartless.
Lets not forget that she paid more income tax in one year than any of you will pay in your lifetime.
August 21, 2007
At 9:36 am Fabiola Thing said:
Whatever. She also MADE more money in one year than any of us will pay in our lifetime.
August 21, 2007
At 9:37 am Fabiola Thing said:
*oooops* I meant “…MAKE in our lifetime.”
August 21, 2007
At 11:24 am Fabiola Thing said:
Lets not forget that she paid more income tax in one year than any of you will pay in your lifetime.
————–
And yet she served 18 months in federal prison on tax evasion charges.
Life is so unfair!
August 21, 2007
At 1:00 am Steve Peacock said:
I worked as one of Leona’s house security officers at her flagship Helmsley Palace hotel from 1987-1992 – the tumultuous years before, during, and after her federal tax-fraud conviction. The short story is this: Leona was a walking contradiction. Sometimes she quietly passed through the Palace lobby en route to her executive office. And yet other times she was as mean and out of control as her reputation now accurately reflects.
By the way, I’ve seen older pictures of Leona (her executive office hallway was plastered with them), and indeed she was a gorgeous woman at one time.
Steve Peacock
Author, “Hotel Dick: Harlots, Starlets, Thieves & Sleaze”
August 23, 2007