Estee Lauder pioneer and NYC arts benefactor Leonard Lauder dies at 92
Share this @internewscast.com

Leonard Lauder, the billionaire cosmetics heir instrumental in turning his parents’ Estee Lauder brand into an international success, has passed away at the age of 92.

The Estee Lauder Companies announced on Sunday the death of their former CEO and chairman emeritus. Lauder, a native of Manhattan, was also celebrated for his significant contributions to the arts in New York City.

“My father dedicated his life to advancing and reshaping the beauty industry, introducing numerous innovations, trends, and best practices that are essential to today’s industry,” stated his son William, the executive chairman of The Estee Lauder Companies, in a statement.

“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,” William said.

“Above all, my father was a man who practiced kindness with everyone he met.”

Leonard, the Jewish son of company founders Estee and Joseph Lauder, was born and raised on the Upper West Side and spent six decades at the firm, launching a number of its top brands, including Clinique, Lab Series and Aramis.

He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School before serving as a lieutenant in the Navy.

When he joined the family firm in 1958, it was just a handful of products sold under a single brand in US stores.

Today, Estee Lauder, worth $15.6 billion, is the third biggest cosmetics company in the world, after French giant L’Oreal and the British-Dutch firm Unilever, according to Women’s Wear Daily.

Leonard was worth an estimated $9.7 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.

In 1995, he took the company public, after announcing that he wanted it to be “the preeminent supplier of upmarket cosmetics in the world,” Women’s Wear reported.

But despite astonishing financial success, Leonard insisted that money wasn’t his biggest motivator.

“Money doesn’t drive me. What drives me is to see that this great company continues its inexorable march to becoming the greatest company in the world. Not the largest, but the greatest,” he told one interviewer.

Leonard only stepped down from the company board in August 2023, at the age of 90.

He was a source of inspiration to many in the world of fashion, including legendary designer Ralph Lauren.

“Leonard’s life and mine have intersected for so many years, and during that time I have called on him many times for advice,” the designer said in 2018.

“He was always there for me. He is a man of honor, a man of integrity, a man of great energy and passion, and what I’ve really learned and respected was his love and support of his family,” Lauren said.

Outside of work, Leonard was known for his love of the arts.

In 2013, he donated his world-renowned collection of Cubist artworks to the Met. The collection featured 81 works by artists Pablo Picasso, George Braque, Juan Gris and Fernand Leger and helped create a new wing of the museum.

“I wanted to transform the Met,” he said of the opening of the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center of Modern Art, adding that his generosity was motivated by “my love of art and my love of New York.”

He was also involved in funding another of New York’s great art institutions: the Whitney Museum of Modern American Art.

Leonard joined the museum’s acquisition board in 1971, becoming a trustee, then president in 1977 and finally chairman in 1994.

In addition, he gifted the museum $131 million, at the time the largest endowment in its history.

Leonard was married to Evelyn Lauder, an Austrian-American businesswoman and socialite, from 1959 until her death in 2011.

In 2015, he married photographer Judy Glickman.

He is survived by his second wife and his two sons, William and Gary, who is the managing director of Lauder Partners LLC.

“His impact was enormous,” William added in his statement. “He believed that employees were the heart and soul of our company, and they adored him and moments spent with him.

“His warmth and thoughtfulness made an imprint on our company, the industry, and, of course, our family. Together with my family, The Estée Lauder Companies, and the countless people he touched, we celebrate his extraordinary life,” he said.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Tropical Storm Chantal strengthens slightly as it nears landfall in South Carolina

Tropical Storm Chantal Gains Strength as It Approaches South Carolina Coastline

Tropical Storm Chantal has intensified as it nears the southeastern U.S. coast,…
Visitor feared to have lost arm in lion zoo attack

Visitor Suspected of Losing Arm in Lion Attack at Zoo

A woman in her 50s is believed to have lost an arm…
The disturbing moment four-year-old Cash was allegedly abducted by Brown

Chilling Incident: 4-Year-Old Boy Abducted from Bed While Sleeping Next to Twin Brother – Still Missing

THIS is the harrowing moment a four-year-old boy is kidnapped from his…
Perfect storm of conditions fueled the deadly Texas flooding: experts

Experts Explain How a Combination of Factors Led to the Deadly Flooding in Texas

A devastating combination of a sluggish pocket of humid air, dry landscape,…
Couple in swimwear posing on a boat.

Gulf Coast Stapletons Influencer Stands by Husband After He Pleads Guilty to 20 Charges Related to Child Abuse Images

AN INFLUENCER has defended her husband online after he was sentenced to…
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes first public appearance since Iran-Israel war started

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Appears in Public for the First Time Since the Start of the Iran-Israel Conflict

On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared publicly for the…
Israel sends negotiating team to Qatar for ceasefire talks

Israel Dispatches Team to Qatar for Ceasefire Discussions

U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for an agreement and will host…
Heather Graham flaunts body in several bikinis during Italy vacation

Heather Graham Shows Off Stunning Bikinis on Italian Getaway

There is no one else who is soaking up the sun more…
Crime scene with numbered markers.

Nine Dead and 93 Injured, Including Children, During Fourth of July Violence, Marking One of the Year’s Deadliest Days

AT least nine people have died and 93 are injured after violence…
Netanyahu and Trump to meet in DC as Gaza’s fate without Hamas is debated

Netanyahu and Trump’s DC Meeting to Discuss Gaza’s Future in a Post-Hamas Context

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to…
Alamy Live News. 3BKW7JH London, UK. 23 Jun 2025. Nigel Farage MP (pictured responding to questions in various states of emotion) and Zia Yusuf lead a Reform party press conference in Westminster. Reform UK floats the policy idea of the Britannia Card an offer to the ?internationally mobile wealth creators'. They will get the card for a one off ¿250,000 landing fee, which allows UK taxation only on a remittance basis and no tax on international wealth, incomes or gains, also no inheritance tax. They ?will also get a Britannia Residence Permit' - a 10 year renewable multi-entry residence permit. Credit: Guy Bell/Alamy This is an Alamy Live News image and may not be part of your current Alamy deal . If you are unsure, please contact our sales team to check.

New Poll Shows Reform Party Leading with 290 Seats in Hypothetical General Election, While Starmer’s Approval Hits Record Low

NIGEL Farage would be the big winner if an election were held…
Time-lapse of the Llano River in Texas rapidly flooding a road.

Shocking Video Captures Texas River Engulfing Bridge in 2 Minutes; 51 Dead and 27 Children Missing

WATCH the terrifying video of a Texas river swallowing a whole bridge…