Posted on 08/20/2007 7:29:03 AM PDT by Sleeping Freeper
Leona Helmsley, the hotelier who went to prison as a tax cheat and was reviled as the "queen of mean," died Monday at age 87.
Helmsley died of heart failure at her summer home in Greenwich, Conn., said her publicist, Howard Rubenstein.
Helmsley and her husband, Harry, ran a $5 billion real estate empire that included managing the Empire State Building. She was tried in 1989 on tax evasion charges in a sensational trial that included testimony from disgruntled employees who said she terrorized both menial and executive help at her homes and hotels.
Her image was sealed when a former housekeeper testified that she heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."
She denied having said it, but the words followed her the rest of her life.
Hillary’s mentor dies....
I thought only the little people died.
Sorry, too obvious. In actuality, I don’t trust the hit job the media performed on her.
As soon as I saw her name ... QUEEN OF MEAN ... flashed in my mind.
For some reason I feel sorry for Satan.
Sorry Leona - you’ll have to check your wealth and privledge at the door.
She probably had her share of failings but the media feeding frenzy over her was beyond all rhyme and reason. The herd mentality just kept stampeding over her when she was on her way down.
Hotel 666, we'll keep the fire on for ya...
where are they buryign her? my bladder...
Beat me to it. She may have been a mean person -- I wouldn't know. But her handling by the press was classic Reagan Era "Let's pile on the greedy rich people" coverage. Michael Milliken got the same.
Just because the media says she was bad doesn't tell me anything.
Time for her understudy, Hillary!
Death and taxes are for little people.......
I tend to agree with that.
I almost feel sorry for her. The media went after her and no matter what, she was evil.
If she ever did anything good in her life or with her money, they sure weren’t gonna tell us.
I thought Rosie was the Queen of Mean.....
well
I guess she is now
First woman ever jailed for being a bitch.
5.56mm
It seems that Leona Helmsley had a lot in common with John Edwards and Al Gore. Who can blame Leona Helmsley if she really thought laws and policies were only for little people?
Hillary keeps Leona’s picture in her wallet.
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