William Louis-Dreyfus, actress' dad, dies at age 84
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story named the wrong funeral home. The correct name is the Cassidy-Flynn Funeral Home.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — William Louis-Dreyfus, a billionaire businessman, art collector and father to actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, died Friday at the age of 84.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Cassidy-Flynn Funeral Home in Mount Kisco, which said services will be private. An obituary was still being prepared by his family, the funeral home said Sunday afternoon.
Louis-Dreyfus, a Bedford resident, made headlines locally after he decided to start donating his multimillion-dollar art collection he'd spent decades acquiring to The Harlem Children's Zone, a non-profit organization that provides support to underprivileged children. His collection was estimated to be worth between $10 million and $50 million and included works by over 170 artists.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus' dad devotes art collection to education
In October 2014, Louis-Dreyfus told The Journal News that the idea came about after he saw a documentary about the organization. After meeting with its founder, Geoffrey Canada, Louis-Dreyfus came up with a plan to donate most of the collection over the next several years.
"It's a worthwhile organization with a great mission," he said during the interview.
He has also opened his personal gallery in Mount Kisco to help raise money for organizations, such as the Bedford Hills Free Library or the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund, giving the public a chance to see rare works of art while supporting good causes.
A native of France, he moved to Westchester County in the early 2000s after spending years living in Manhattan. He grew up in Paris, but moved to America with his mother after she divorced her husband. After attending Duke University and Duke University School of Law in North Carolina, Louis-Dreyfus entered the business world.
Louis-Dreyfus was chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Service with a net worth estimated by Forbes magazine in 2006 of $3.4 billion.
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