'HEART AND SOUL'

Former Estée Lauder CEO Dead at the Age of 92

Leonard Lauder was the eldest son of the beauty company’s founders, Estée and Joseph Lauder.

Powerhouse beauty executive Leonard A. Lauder has died at 92. The chairman emeritus of Estée Lauder Companies passed on June 14 surrounded by family, a statement from the cosmetics conglomerate read Sunday. The eldest son of company founders, namesake Estée and Joseph Lauder, Leonard played a pioneering role in transforming the beauty brand from a small-scale operation into a billion-dollar cosmetics empire. After formally joining the company in 1958, Leonard became CEO from 1982 to 1999. He also spearheaded the launch of several prestige beauty brands, including Clinique and Aramis. “Throughout his life, my father worked tirelessly to build and transform the beauty industry, pioneering many of the innovations, trends, and best practices that are foundational to the industry today,” Leonard’s son and the chair of the board of directors at Estée Lauder Companies, William P. Lauder, said in a statement. In 2013, he announced that he would leave his billion-dollar Cubist art collection to the Met.