Republican megadonor and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson died on Monday night due to complications related to his treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
According to a statement from Las Vegas Sands Corp., the gaming corporation that Adelson founded in 1988 and where he served as Chairman and CEO, the multibillionaire passed away at his Malibu home. He was 87.
Adelson leaves a legacy as one of President Donald Trump’s biggest donors.
According to filings, the megadonor and his wife had funneled $218 million to Republicans and conservative groups during the 2020 election cycle alone.
In 2018, following copious midterm donations, Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Adelson’s wife, Miriam Adelson — an honor bestowed on those who have made “especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
The casino magnate’s entrepreneurial career began during his teen years, when he sold newspapers on a street corner. Years later, he actualized a vision for integrated resorts that transformed the tourism industry, and by the time of his death owned two Israeli newspapers in addition to the Nevada-based Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A funeral honoring Adelson’s life will be held in Israel, where his wife was born. Plans for a Las Vegas memorial service are expected to be announced at a later date, according to the company statement.
The company added that Adelson “will be missed by people from all parts of the world who were touched by his generosity, kindness, intellect and wonderful sense of humor.”
