'They're suffering': Family of Thomas H Lee in 'somber state' after billionaire fatally shot himself in Manhattan office
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: According to a friend, the devastating family of Thomas H Lee is in a "somber state" after the billionaire banker died by suicide this week in his Manhattan office. Friends, neighbors, and flowers flooded the family's East 57th Street apartment building on Saturday, Feb 25 as the American Billionaire's widow, Ann Tenenbaum was seen momentarily leaving with what an associate claimed to be her siblings.
The banker was discovered dead in his Manhattan office Thursday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A man who is familiar with the family said that since Lee's suicide, things have been difficult. The unidentified man said, "I don't think it's a good time because they're in a somber state." The family should have some privacy, said a different resident from Sutton Place, New York, adding that "They're suffering."
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Who is Ann Tenenbaum?
A female assistant discovered 78-year-old Thomas H Lee with a gunshot wound to the head on the bathroom floor of his Midtown East workplace on Fifth Avenue on Thursday, according to sources. The man, a close friend of the Clintons, was once dubbed the "envy of Wall Street" and is thought to have had a net worth of $2 billion at the time of his tragic death.
Lee's second wife, Ann Tenenbaum, is from Savannah, Georgia. Hydrangeas and other white flowers were reportedly brought to the office for Tenenbaum who has been married to Lee since 1997 and in a Forbes article from that year, he affectionately referred to her as his "partner." The piece says, "'She is my partner,' Tom claims proudly. He doesn't mean in business, but in life, especially where the couple's civic duties overlap."
The pair donated their collection of 60 old photographs for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 150th anniversary in 2020. A book with the working title 'Photography's Last Century: The Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H Lee Collection' was also published, as reported by The Sun.
Who is Lee's first wife?
Before Tenenbaum, Lee had a previous marriage to heiress Barbara Fish. The ex-couple divorced in 1995 after being married from 1968 to 1995. Both the Barbara Lee Family Foundation and the Barbara Lee Political Office, which are based in Boston, Massachusetts, were established by and are run by Barbara Fish Lee.
According to the Barbara Lee Foundation website, she is a "national leader in advancing women’s equality and representation in American politics and in the field of contemporary art." The bio also says that Boston Magazine has listed her among 'Boston’s Most Powerful Thought Leaders', 'The 100 People Who Run This Town', and '50 Most Powerful Women in Boston'. Women’s eNews ranks her among the '21 Leaders for the 21st Century'.
'Smith & Wesson was next to him'
According to sources, first responders discovered Lee, who founded the leveraged buyout sector, laying on his side with a head wound caused by a gunshot that he had apparently self-inflicted. A Smith & Wesson was next to him. Lee, a father of five children and grandfather of two, was declared dead at 11.26 am, according to sources, despite attempts to save his life.
'Nobody seems to know'
An additional neighbor expressed shock over Lee's suicide. "I was just in contact with him two days before," he stated, adding "Nobody seems to know" why Lee took his own life. Lee's death was declared a suicide by the city medical examiner's office on Friday, with a "gunshot wound of head" listed as the cause of death.
'Envy of Wall Street'
The financier became well-known by buying mid-sized businesses, increasing their value, and then selling them for enormous gains. His success earned him the moniker "envy of Wall Street." He first worked as a financial analyst for the research division of LF Rothschild & Company after receiving his Harvard degree in 1965. Later, he made the switch to banking, working for First National Bank of Boston, where he eventually attained the post of vice president and oversaw the bank's high-tech lending division. In 1974, nearly ten years into his financial profession, he founded Lee Equity. During this period, gained recognition as one of the industry's early pioneers, particularly in leveraged buyouts.