'Mean Queen' leaves dog $12m

2007-08-29 19:04

New York - Leona Helmsley, the late US hotel billionaire known as the "Queen of Mean", has lived up to her reputation, even in death, cutting two grandchildren out of her will and leaving $12m to her dog.

Trouble, a white Maltese, received the largest bequest from Helmsley's will, which was read out in a New York court on Tuesday.

The will sets aside a trust to care for the pampered pooch, which once starred in advertisements for Helmsley's hotel chain, and also stipulates that the dog be buried beside her and her late husband, Harry, who died in 1997.

The family's luxury mausoleum is to be maintained in perpetuity thanks to a further $3m trust.

Helmsley, famed for observing that "only the little people pay taxes" and who spent time in jail for tax fraud, died earlier this month aged 87.

She earned herself the sobriquet "the Queen of Mean" for her hard-nosed work ethic, short temper and reputation for cruelty and penny pinching.

Helmsley was survived by her brother - who received $10m and will look after Trouble until the pooch dies - as well as four grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

The two grandsons who were included in the will received $5m each, but only on the proviso that they visit their late father's grave at least once a year.

Her two other grandchildren were cut out "for reasons which are known to them", according to the will.

The lion's share of her $4bn fortune goes to unnamed causes through a charitable trust.

Helmsley married real estate magnate Harry Helmsley in 1972, helping him build a company managing some of New York's most prestigious addresses, including the Empire State Building, as well as hotels across the country.

She was equally well known for serving jail time for fraud from 1992 to 1993 after being investigated for skipping taxes owed notably on hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of luxury jewellery.

- AFP