The events of 2020 left an indelible mark on the world, as the disease that was raging at the time touched every corner of the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that the COVID-19 virus has killed about two million people in the last year. On the other hand, as might be expected, the virus’s victims did not include any millionaires. Having said that, sixteen billionaires died in the year 2020, seven less than in the previous year, 2019. The following is a list of ten people who will have died in 2020 with a net worth of more than one billion dollars.
Joseph Safra
- Joseph Safra died in December 2020, at the age of 82, from natural causes.
- Brazil is the resident country.
- The estimated value is $23.3 billion.
Joseph Safra was the world’s wealthiest banker. He was born in Switzerland and was of Lebanese and Brazilian origin. The family moved to Brazil after Safra was born in Beirut in 1952 to parents of Sephardic Jewish origin. Joseph was very proficient in the family business of banking. Banco Safra, which he and his father Jacob founded in the 1960s and currently ranks sixth in total assets among Brazil’s financial institutions, was one of the country’s earliest financial organizations. It is a subsidiary of the Safa Group, over which Joseph formerly served as chairman. In addition, he was involved in several other business ventures and owned half of the banana farming company Chiquita Brands International.
Sheldon Adelson
- Non-lymphoma Hodgkin’s disease was the cause of death, and she died in January 2021, at the age of 87.
- Citizenship in the United States
- Their net worth is estimated to be $29.8 billion.
Sheldon Adelson was a well-known American philanthropist, political contributor, and businessman. Throughout his seventy-year business career, he invested in dozens of various firms; nonetheless, the majority of his billions came from the gaming industry. Adelson purchased the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas back in 1988. In 1999, he extended his Sin City operations by constructing The Venetian, a Venice-themed luxury hotel and casino.
This hotel is recognized as being the first of its type, ushering in the trend of mega-resorts. Following the year 2000, he expanded into Macau and Singapore in the gambling sector. Throughout the latter two decades of his life, he was recognized for his vehement resistance to the regulation of online casinos for Americans. He was also well-known for his pro-Israel stance and significant donations to the Republican Party.
Lee Kun-hee
- Lee Kun-hee died from lung cancer in October 2020, at the age of 78.
- South Korean citizenship and nationality
- The net worth is estimated to be 17.3 billion dollars.
Lee Byung-Chul, the founder of Samsung, had three sons, the third of whom was called Lee Kun-hee. The two periods he spent as chairman of the Samsung Group are what made this South Korean billionaire famous. The first lasted from 1987 to 2008, while the second began in 2010 and ended with his death in 2014.
Analysts believe he is the driving force behind the company’s metamorphosis into the world’s leading maker of televisions and smartphones. His public image was harmed by two convictions for corruption and tax evasion. The president awarded him pardons for both of these charges. Since 2007, he has held the title of South Korea’s wealthiest individual.
Whitney MacMillan
- Natural causes were the underlying element in his death in March 2020, at the age of 90.
- Citizenship in the United States
- Their net worth is estimated to be $5.1 billion.
Whitney MacMillan was the Chief Executive Officer of Cargill between 1976 and 1995. In 1865, his great-grandfather, William Wallace Cargill, founded the business. He was his great-grandson. grandson’s Cargill is a multinational food company headquartered in Minnesota.
Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. During MacMillan’s tenure as CEO, Cargill grew to become the world’s largest grain corporation, with a threefold increase in annual revenue. He was the director of the Western NIS Enterprise Fund and served on the boards of directors of various philanthropic organizations. He lectured at the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business.
Rollins, Randall
- The death happened in August of 2020, at the age of 88, as a result of an unreported sickness.
- Citizenship in the United States
- Their net worth is estimated to be $4.7 billion.
Randall Rollins was a prominent Georgia businessman who was the chairman of Rollins Inc., the country’s most profitable pest management company. His father was Orville Wayne Rollins, and he was his son. They, together with his younger brother John, founded Rollins Broadcasting in 1948. Rollins Inc. was formed as a result of the expansion of Rollins Broadcasting.
Randall oversaw both Dover Motorsports and Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment while in that position. He also served as chairman of the boards of both the Marine Products Corporation and RPC, Inc. He was a great philanthropist to several other nonprofit institutions in Atlanta, in addition to creating the Rollins School of Public Health.
Sheldon Solow
- Lymphoma killed him in November 2020, when he was 92 years old.
- Citizenship in the United States
- Their net worth is estimated to be $4.4 billion.
Sheldon Henry Solow was a well-known real estate developer in New York. He has Russian ancestors. He began his business in the 1950s on Long Island, New York, by developing residential structures and a commercial retail complex. Solow changed his concentration in the 1960s to the creation of high-end apartments on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. In 1974, he completed the Solow Building, a 50-story skyscraper.
It is today recognized as one of the most valuable office buildings in the state. In 2006, he purchased $600 million for land near the United Nations headquarters to build One United Nations Park, a condominium tower. The tower’s construction took approximately two decades. Solow was married to jewelry designer Mia Fonssagrives-Solow for many years, in addition to being an avid art collector.
Redstone, Sumner
- She died of natural causes in August 2020, at the age of 97.
- Citizenship in the United States
- Their net worth is estimated to be $2.6 billion.
Sumner Murray Redstone was a media magnate who also had a substantial stake in the National Amusements theater chain. He was the executive chairman of both Viacom and CBS until 2016, and he remained a majority voting stakeholder in the conglomerate ViacomCBS until his death. In 2018, he passed away. Redstone was a major supporter of a wide range of philanthropic organizations during his life.
His total donations amounted to more than $150 million. He was a Harvard Law School graduate, and it is generally known that he donated $10 million to Harvard Law School for public-interest fellowships, as well as $18 million to Boston University School of Law.
Abdullah Saleh Kamel
- He died of a heart attack in May of 2020, at the age of 79.
- Saudi Arabian by birth and nationality
- Their net worth is estimated to be $2.3 billion.
Saleh Abdullah Kamel founded the Dallah al Baraka Group as a Saudi businessman. He was also the group’s founder. The firm is a worldwide conglomerate that primarily engages in the financial, transportation, medical, and real estate sectors. In 1963, Saleh earned a business degree from the University of Riyadh.
He is often regarded as the “creator” of contemporary Islamic banking. In addition to leading the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he received a variety of additional business honors. He was also the owner of the ART TV network, which had previously been granted the rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup in the Middle East. In the year 2009, beIN Sports, a branch of the Al Jazeera Group, purchased the ART network.
Moroun, Manuel
- Congestive heart failure ended her life in July 2020, at the age of 93.
- Citizenship in the United States
- Their net worth is estimated to be $1.5 billion.
Manuel Moroun was a well-known businessman in Michigan, most known for owning the Ambassador Bridge, which spans the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor. It opened in 1929 and is today the busiest border crossing in North America. It is responsible for more than a quarter of all goods traded between Canada and the United States.
Moroun bought the bridge from the Bower family, who had sponsored its construction in 1929, in 1979. Moroun’s father established the Central Cartage Company, subsequently known as Central Transport. At the moment, the company’s worth is believed to be more than $3 billion. In addition, Moroun was the owner of Michigan Central Station, which he sold to Ford Motor Company in 2018.
Lin Qi
- Lin Qi died in December of 2020, at the age of 39, maybe as a result of poisoning.
- China is a nation of citizens.
- Their net worth is estimated to be $1.3 billion.
Lin Qi was the chairman of Yoozoo Interactive and a Chinese gaming entrepreneur. Yoozoo Interactive was also founded by him. Yoozoo is a Hong Kong-based mobile game developer and publisher that was founded in 2009. The majority of the company’s games are massively multiplayer online role-playing games. It is one of China’s most successful mobile gaming businesses, and its role-playing game (RPG) title, Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, is well-known worldwide.
Lin acquired the rights to adapt the science fiction novel The Three-Body Problem in 2014. Netflix announced plans to adapt the novel into a television series in 2020, with Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff involved in the project. The Chinese police suspect that Yoozoo’s chairman was poisoned by Lin’s employee Xu, who is 39 years old and bears the surname. Yoozoo’s chairman was admitted to the hospital two days before his death, complaining of physical agony.