Sheldon Adelson was much more than what he actually was, which is the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands and a major donor of Republican politics. As the news of casino magnate's death at the age of 87 trickled in, the obituaries highlighting his ideologies and larger than life donations were not far behind. But who was he truly?
The multi-billionaire was also known as Donald Trump's biggest financial backer during both the times he was in Presidential fray. His demise was confirmed by his wife through an official statement, "Sheldon was the love of my life. He was my partner in romance, philanthropy, political activism and enterprise. He was my soul mate," she said confirming his death, by complications from a long illness. He was to undergo cancer treatment for his non-Hodgkins lymphoma."
By the way, did you know...
Adelson hit the national headlines last year when he set a new record for donations from individuals in a single election cycle. He donated $172.7 million to Trump and Republicans ahead of the election campaigning.
Adelson was a man living his life with all that power, money and fame bring in. Not just that. The Jewish American billionaire made a fortune running casinos and also spent a fortune in trying to change the political narrative. He was also considered one of the staunch patrons of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thereby becoming a significantly influential figure in Israel, courtesy his "big money."
To many of us, a peep into the lives of those with obscene amounts of money spent recklessly or impulsively has been through mainstream Hollywood flicks. Adelson lived that cinematic life, only for real.
Quotable quotes by the casino magnate
"I see this as my humanitarian legacy. We're prepared to pay billions," he said during an interview in 2006 in context of his funding for medical research to tackle 10 different diseases. He once also challenged Microsoft Founder Bill Gates saying it was only a matter of time before he ended Gates' 13-year domination on the Forbes List. He was named the third richest man in the US in 2006.
"I don't cry when I lose, there's always a new hand coming up," he once said, truly symbolising a life that's been bet and won. The son of a Boston cab driver, immigrated from Lithuania and first had an eye on the potential of casinos as a host for conventions. This was when he ran Comdex. It is unbelievable that led him to buy the Sands Hotel in 1989 for a whopping $128 billion.
"I'm not in business to make money for the other guy. I'm in business to make money for myself," little wonder many of quotable quotes are textbook scriptures for aspiring entrepreneurs.
