GREENWICH, Connecticut: She was known as New York's 'Queen of Mean'. But when it came to her precious pooch, Leona Helmsley was anything but mean.
The real estate mogul, who recently died of congestive heart failure, left 'Trouble', her beloved white Maltese, a $12 million trust fund. However two of her four grandchildren weren't as lucky - the controversial hotelier Helmsley left nothing for Craig and Meegan Panzirer - for "reasons that are known to them."
Britain's Telegraph reported that Mrs Helmsley, who died aged 87, also stipulated that Trouble is to be buried beside her in the Helmsley mausoleum when the pooch passes on.
Trouble is the star of an advertising campaign for the Helmsley Hotel chain. She is also notorious for biting members of the hotel staff. According to those in the know, Trouble kept the widowed billionaire company during the last years of her life.
Mrs. Helmsley's brother, Alvin Rosenthal, inherited $10 million on condition that he care for the now millionaire Maltese. The other two grandchildren, David and Walter, received $5 million each, as long as they visit their father's (Jay Panzirer) grave once each calendar year. According to The Sydney Morning Herald Mrs. Helmsley also stipulated that the mausoleum should be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year. She left a budget of $3 million for the upkeep of their extravagant final resting place, itself estimated to be worth at $1.4 million. Her chauffeur, Nicholas Celea, was left $100,000.
Leona Helmsley won't be the first pet owner to make sure that their pets are well taken care even after death, according to the Daily News.
- Tobacco heiress Doris Duke left $100,000 to care for her pooches - Minnie, Foxie, Rodeo and Robert - when she died in 1993.
- Singer Dusty Springfield included Nicholas, her California ragdoll cat, into her will and insisted he be fed only with imported baby food.
- Actress Natalie Schafer reportedly left a fat chunk of her estate to her poodle.
- Actress and animal activist Betty White is said to have a will that leaves $5 million to her pets.
- Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is believed to have made postmortem arrangements for her cocker spaniel Sophie as well as her other dogs.
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Leona Helmsley achieved infamy for her statement "Only the little people pay taxes". In 1972 , she married Harry Helmsley, then known as the 'King Kong of Big Apple real estate. Their portfolio included the Empire State Building, 230 Park Avenue, and the Tudor City apartment complex on Manhattan's East Side. In 1989, she was convicted of tax evasion charges and was sent to jail for 18 months. Her only child, Jay, died in 1982 following a heart attack. Following his death, Mrs. Helmsley sued to claim most of his son's estate, leaving her four grandchildren with just $432 a piece. When her husband died in 1997, she inherited $1.7 billion and a property empire that dominated much of Manhattan's skyline.
Her sobriquet 'Queen of Mean' was allegedly earned due to her short temper, hard-nosed work ethic, reputation for cruelty and penny pinching.
However, despite her negative public image, Mrs. Helmsley proved that she also had a generous side. According to Wikipedia, after the 9/11 attacks, she donated $5 million to the families of New York firefighters. She also gave $25 million to New York's Presbyterian Hospital [10] to fund medical research.
Proceeds from the sales of the Helmsley's residences and other property, estimated to be worth billions, are to be transferred to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Meanwhile, Trouble now joins the elite list of the world's richest pets.
Leona Helmsley won't be the first pet owner to make sure that their pets are well taken care even after death.
what a lucky pooch! sheesh 12 million! and all of that to a dog?! i cant believe she left so much to her dog and not even leave anything for her grand kids. what a waste.
i am all for loving your pets even when ur dead but really, what is a dog gonna do with 12 million dollars??? this woman wasnt exactly the nicest when she was alive she could have done something nicer before she died. and poor grandchildren. *sighs* if this is what it means to be rich i dont wanna be rich..
This was all over the news. I really wanna know what the reason behind the "for reasons known to them" is. What could the grandchildren possible could have done that the rich woman preferred to give her wealth to the dog?
i'm not surprised why she's known as the queen of mean. she didn't even give her grand kids anything while leaving everything to her pet dog. i just really find it so sad and disappointing that people like this really exists.
What a cruel old lady. I love dogs so much but I would not do such a thing if it means stepping on other people's toes - especially family! Well, I wouldn't do it anyway coz I don't even have a million bucks to begin with! lol!
she really is mean! its ok to leave behind some for trouble but to completely write her grandchildren out of the will is just plain crazy and mean! tsk.. i dont know whether to be happy or pissed off with this story..
what a crazy old coot! how can she give million dollars to her pet and not give anything to her grand children? sometimes i really don't know what this world is turning into.
Any updates on what the "reasons known to them" is? i really wanna know what the grandkids could have possibly done that the lady chose her pets instead of her own blood!
The articles in the paper indicate that none of her relatives want to care for the dog. So here is an idea - I would take him and give him a agreat home and the 12 million (less what it would actually take for his quality life) could be made into an endowment to care for dogs and cats who have lost their family.
i dont know kathy your intention is w/out a doubt good but trouble doesnt sound like a dog thats used to a simple lifestyle. and look at his name.. i bet he's as notorious as his owner
Seems like nobody liked this mean old lady. Sad that this innocent pooch got the lady's personality that nobody wanted to take care of him. Poor little rich Trouble.!
yeah.. despite all his money now trouble isnt necessarily all set and happy because no one wants to take care of him. the grandchildren has at least some money and they have one another to watch out for them but trouble really has no one.. sad that trouble had to pay for his owners bad karma..
i wonder what oprah has set aside for her dogs.. it could be more than this helmsley woman left trouble.. but maybe oprah has more sense than that..
I agree, I think oprah has more sense than leona helmsley and even if she gives her dogs more than enough money she has also done the same for countless people and beside, its her money she can do with it as she likes,
I think it was foolish of Leona Helmsley to leave her much-protected wealth to her dog because I am quite certain the dog won't need that much cash and in the end other people will just use it for themselves. Bottomline? Greed is never good.
I think Trouble deserves every cent of the bequest. Besides, Leona left millions to charity.
and i think its foolish to even bother thinking about it because its her money anyway
its just very ironic that she donated quite a huge amount for charity but cant even give her grand children anything. i just find that very sad and disturbing.
yes Trouble probably does deserve it for his loyalty and companionship but the question is does he need it? and where will the money go when Trouble is gone? if you ask me leona helmsley is just plain greedy even after death..
Hey my girl Trouble was on conan o'brien. Looks like her 'lover' wants some of the stash. Didn't know Triumph was Trouble's type.. hmm.. rich brat meets the bad boy. my buddy and I are hooked up! wonder what that helmsley lady would have said about another dog messing with hers. lol.