Leonard Lauder, the oldest son of the founders of Estée Lauder and former CEO of the beauty empire, has died at 92, the company said in a statement.
Lauder died Saturday surrounded by family, the statement said.
“He was the most charitable man I have ever known, believing that art and education belonged to everyone, and championing the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and breast cancer, ” said his son, chairman of Estée Lauder’s board of directors William Lauder. “Above all, my father was a man who practiced kindness with everyone he met. His impact was enormous.”
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Lauder was born in 1933, the same year that his mother, Estée, founded what eventually became Estée Lauder Companies, a beauty company with over two dozen brands selling products across the globe. Growing up in New York City, Lauder said in his book “The Company I Keep” that he remembers his mother cooking up facial creams on the stove.
“The company and I grew up together, our lives as closely paired as twins. It has always been more than a family company: it was — and continues to be — my family,” he wrote.
In an interview with CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” in 2020, Lauder said the company was always a family business. His dad, Joseph, kept the books, and young Lauder packed boxes of powder and cleansing oil. “
We had a little tiny factory, and I would go there after school for 25 cents an hour and I’d work,” he said.