Billionaire financier Thomas H. Lee dies at 78

Billionaire financier Thomas H. Lee, a private equity pioneer, died Thursday at age 78, his family said in a statement.

Lee committed suicide, New York’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch on Friday.

Lee, who was worth $2 billion by Forbes magazine, founded Lee Equity in 2006, which said he had invested more than $15 billion in equity over his 46 years in finance. The financier may be best known for his purchase and sale of beverage maker Snapple, which his firm at the time bought for $135 million in 1992. Two years later, he sold it for $1.7 billion to Quaker Oats Co., earning an extraordinary return on his investment.

In their statement, Li’s family asked that their privacy be respected.

“While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in private equity and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, sister, friend and philanthropist who always puts the needs of others before his own.” they say in the statement.

A Harvard graduate, Lee donated $22 million to his alma mater in 1996, one of the university’s biggest gifts at the time. According to Lee Equity, Lee was a trustee of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, NYU Langone Medical Center, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can contact 988 Suicide and crisis lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

For more information about mental health resources and supportThe National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) hotline is available Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm ET at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email [email protected].

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