Eulogizing the Queen of Mean (Smoking Gun doc on Leona Helmsley)

[NJCher]

Leona Helmsley's early history is marked by poverty and fear. Few members of her family survived, as most of them died of heart attacks--just as Leona eventually did at 87. She had to quit school at age 13 to help support her family.

Fear is what kept her first marriage together and was her motivation for her second marriage (described by LH as a marriage of "convenience").

She supposedly made good money on her own in real estate conversions but she was only employed at the real estate company for two years and when asked how much she made, said she couldn't remember.

These facts come from The Smoking Gun, which dug up the interview between Leona and the probation officer back when she was imprisoned for tax fraud.

The interview is long (12-typewritten pages), but it is quite a fascinating and detailed look at a gold digger who made the big time.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0821071helmsley1.html



Cher

[bluestateguy]

1. Now is a time for us to remember and give our condolences

to all of the people hurt by this wench and the crimes she committed.

My sympathy goes out to everyone who ever had to work for her or in any way be associated with her.

[Wiley50]

2. Her Legacy Will Be Defined By Who She Left That 3.4 Billion to n/t

[NJCher]

3. Forgot to add

Interesting Leona tidbit that I've not seen elsewhere:

When she was dating Harry, she wanted to sew the deal up fast. Harry apparently wasn't in any hurry to get married.

So Leona would send herself flowers with little love notes attached to them. She would load up her apartment with roses and then have Harry pick her up for a date. She let on to Harry that she was a hot commodity and he fell for it--she had the ring in nothing flat.

That was the biggest and best sale Leona ever closed.




Cher