Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress to cosmetics firm L'Oreal, has died aged 94, her family has confirmed.
A statement said she had died at home "peacefully" overnight.
With an estimated 2017 net worth of 33bn euros (£30bn; $40bn), she was the world's richest woman.
She left the company's board in 2012 and was rarely seen in public afterwards, but remained in the news because of a high-profile exploitation case following her dementia diagnosis.
In a statement, the company's chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Agon said: "We all had a deep admiration for Liliane Bettencourt who has always watched over L'Oreal, the company and its employees, and who was very attached to its success and development.
"She personally contributed a lot to its success for very many years. A great woman of beauty has left us and we will never forget her."
The heiress became embroiled in a public feud with her estranged daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, in 2007.
Ms Bettencourt-Meyers filed a lawsuit over concerns that her mother was being exploited by members of her entourage amid declining health.
It was revealed in 2008 that a photographer who had befriended the heiress, François-Marie Banier, was gifted items worth hundreds of millions of dollars - including paintings by Picasso and a 670-acre island in the Seychelles.
Ms Bettencourt-Meyers said she took legal action against Mr Banier after learning from her mother's household staff that she was allegedly considering adopting him
No comments:
Post a Comment