Billionaire financier, 78, is found dead inside Fifth Avenue office: Investor - who was friends with Clintons - died from self-inflicted gunshot wound - as family say 'our hearts are broken'

Daily Mail ^

[algore]

A billionaire financier and investor was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his office in New York City.

The death of Thomas H. Lee, 78, was confirmed by his family in a statement released on Thursday.

Police discovered Lee's body around 11:10 a.m. at his office on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan - where his business Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC is located.

Lee had a net worth of roughly $2 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.

Lee was the founder and chairman of Lee Equity and had served as chairman and CEO of Thomas H. Lee Partners, according to the Lee Equity website.

He founded his firm in 1974, and is credited with being one of the early pioneers in private equity and specifically leveraged buyouts.

The businessman may be best known for the sale of Snapple for $1.7 billion in 1994, and then selling it two years later for $1.7 billion, a return of 32 times equity.

Lee has been married twice - first to Barbara Fish Lee, who he divorced in 1995,. His second wife was Ann Tenenbaum of Savannah, Georgia. Lee has five children.

He was a good friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. In June 2008, following Hillary's unsuccessful presidential run, the couple reportedly stayed at Lee's East Hampton home.

[ronnie raygun]

He WAS a good friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton

[MV=PY]

I guess that proves that money doesn’t by happiness!

But, then again, neither does poverty...

[robowombat]

At 78 it first would be good to know what his life and health were like. I am that age and know of a couple of people who committed suicide without it being ‘obvious’.