Defend Truth

Bruce Wasserstein, iconic banker, dies of heart problems at 61

Bruce Wasserstein, iconic banker, dies of heart problems at 61

Whenever there was a major US deal whose ripples would resonate through business geosphere for years, there was a great chance that it was negotiated by Bruce Wasserstein, the CEO of Lazard bank. The deals he put together were as unforgettable as his frenetic pace: Philip Morris's $13 billion bid for Kraft in 1988, KKR's $31 billion buyout of RJR Nabisco in 1989 (immortalised in the book and the movie “Barbarians at the Gate”) and the $15 billion merger of Time and Warner Bros. in 1990. A Harvard graduate with two degrees (law and business), he was also the owner of the hugely influential New York magazine. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to be $2.2 billion.

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Become a Maverick Insider

This could have been a paywall

On another site this would have been a paywall. Maverick Insider keeps our content free for all.

Become an Insider

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.