Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Hotelier, Real Estate Developer and "Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley Dies at 87
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 20, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 20, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Leona Helmsley, whose conviction on tax evasion charges made her infamous beyond her repute as a hotelier and real estate developer, died today at age 87. She and her husband Harry Helmsley (who divorced his wife of 33 years to marry her) ran a $5 billion real estate empire that included the Empire State Building, 230 Park Avenue, Tudor-City, a number of hotels including the Park Lane, New York Helmsley, and Helmsley Palace, and much more.
Helmsley was born Lena Rosenthol in Ulster County and later grew up in Brooklyn, but she became known as the "Queen of Mean" when employees revealed she was a terrible boss and when she allegedly said, "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." Newsweek even put her on the cover with the headline "Rhymes with Rich" and detailed her "personal unkindness." The CityRoom offered this anecdote about her temper and her role as the symbol of the Helmsley brand:
Hotel employees throughout the Helmsley empire were aware of Mrs. Helmsley’s trigger temper and had arranged a warning system when she left her apartment en route to one of the hotels. But it was not until she starred in glossy advertisements for the hotels that she became a household name. The first ads, for the Harley, showed a smiling Mrs. Helmsley proclaiming that she wouldn’t settle for skimpy towels and couldn’t get along without a phone in the bath. She asked, “Why should you?” Occupancy rates skyrocketed.
Helmsley and her husband bought an estate in Greenwich, CT in 1983, and the remodeling and renovation costs added up to $8 million. The Helmsleys' unwillingness to pay contractors led the contractors to send invoices to the Post, that explained how the Helmsleys were charging their home renovation costs to other Helmsley properties.
You can learn more about the tax evasion case, the Helmsley real estate empire and Helmsley herself at Crime Library. Her spokesman Howard Rubenstein said, "Leona was a great businesswoman in her own right who created a tremendous brand and success with Helmsley Hotels and was a wonderful partner and wife to Harry Helmsley. She was extremely generous as a philanthropist and she gave tens of millions of dollars to charity right up until the last months of her life."
Tagged
blogs
brooklyn
charity
city
crime
Crime Library
empire state
empire state building
greenwich
hotels
Howard Rubenstein
Leona Helmsley
library
new york
News: NYC
Park avenue
Park Lane
people
queen
real estate
State Building
taxes
ulster county
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .