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Nevada mislaid respective notable radical successful 2021, including hotel-casino developers, concern tycoons and Strip entertainers.
Here’s a database of notable Silver State figures who died this year:
Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Adelson, 1 of the astir palmy luxury edifice developers, philanthropists and governmental influencers of his generation, died Jan. 11 from complications related to attraction for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was 87.
Adelson founded and served arsenic the president and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. from its inception successful 1988.
A generous philanthropist, Adelson and his wife, Miriam, underwrote aesculapian research, a backstage school, cause rehabilitation clinics and respective different causes. He built The Venetian, Palazzo and Sands Expo and Convention Center, helping alteration the hotel-casino manufacture on the way.
“To maine — arsenic to his children, grandchildren, and his legions of friends and admirers, employees and colleagues — helium is utterly irreplaceable,” Dr. Miriam Adelson said.
Born successful Boston, Adelson purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal successful 2015 and besides conducted extended concern astir the world, including successful Macao and Singapore.
In summation to his wife, Sheldon Adelson is survived by 3 sons, Gary, Adam and Matan Adelson; 3 daughters, Shelley Adelson, Sivan Dumont (and son-in-law Patrick Dumont) and Yasmin Lukatz; and 11 grandchildren.
Siegfried Fischbacher
Siegfried Fischbacher, fractional of the legendary illusion squad Siegfried & Roy, died Jan. 13 astatine 81. Fischbacher met his spouse Roy Horn connected a cruise vessel successful 1957, and the 2 came to Las Vegas successful 1967. Their amusement astatine The Mirage would header 5,750 sellout performances.
Fischbacher and Horn, who died successful 2020, were remembered arsenic “larger than life.” Fischbacher would sojourn the concealed plot astatine The Mirage successful his aboriginal years and interact with visitors, pulling coins retired of bladed aerial to springiness them.
Stanley Mallin
Stanley Mallin, a edifice and casino developer who was inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame successful 2019, died Sept. 11 astatine 98.
Mallin co-founded Caesars Palace and Circus Circus with his longtime spouse Jay Sarno and has a thoroughfare named aft him adjacent the hotels. He was remembered as a “gentleman” and an avid golfer aft his death.
Kenny Lee and his father, Hae Un Lee
Hae Un Lee, laminitis of Lee’s Discount Liquor and a salient philanthropist, died Aug. 27 of pancreatic cancer. He was 79. Lee, whose nonprofit gave millions of dollars to organizations successful Southern Nevada, founded his archetypal liquor store successful 1981 aft emigrating from South Korea.
On Nov. 19, his son, Kenny Lee, 53, was killed successful a car crash successful Northern Nevada. Kenny Lee, the CEO of Lee’s Discount Liquor, had worked with astatine his father’s stores since helium was 12. The institution described Kenny Lee arsenic a loving son, hubby and father, and noted that helium besides loved golfing and the Vegas Golden Knights.
John Ascuaga, laminitis of the Nugget
Northern Nevada gaming icon John Ascuaga founded the Nugget successful Sparks successful 1960, turning it from a tiny java store into a full-fledged resort. He died June 28 astatine 96.
Ascuaga was known for roaming the casino level and greeting patrons until the resort’s merchantability successful 2013. He was remembered for his “boundless energy” and “larger than life” personality.
Charles Heers
Charles Heers, who built the archetypal tract homes successful Las Vegas successful the 1950s, died Jan. 2 successful Newport Beach, California. Heers, 94, was hospitalized with pneumonia aft being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Heers built thousands of homes successful the Las Vegas Valley and besides founded a fig of hotel-casinos, including the Tuscany Suites.
Donald Brinkerhoff
Donald Brinkerhoff, a scenery designer and “visionary” decorator whose enactment transformed the Strip, died July 16 astatine 90. He worked connected respective Strip properties, starting with The Mirage successful 1989 and including Resorts World Las Vegas, which opened successful June.
He besides designed the Strip’s halfway median and worked with astir large Strip developers.
Charles Mathewson
Charles “Chuck” Mathewson, the erstwhile International Game Technology president and a philanthropist, died Oct. 24 astatine his location successful Reno. Mathewson, 93, is credited with transforming IGT from a determination institution to a elephantine successful the gaming industry.
Mathewson was inducted into the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame successful 1997. A “mythical figure,” Mathewson helped alteration the slot manufacture and was a important donor to the University of Nevada, Reno.
Lacy Thomas
Lacy Thomas, a erstwhile University Medical Center executive, died successful December. Thomas took the helm of the infirmary successful December 2003 and was fired successful January 2007 aft an audit recovered the infirmary had mislaid $34 million, astir doubly the $18.8 cardinal nonaccomplishment that Thomas had told his superiors.
He was charged successful 2008 with 5 counts of theft and 5 counts of authoritative misconduct but the lawsuit was declared a mistrial.
James Bilbray
James Bilbray, a erstwhile congressman from Nevada, died Sept. 19 astatine 83. Bilbray was calved successful Las Vegas and aboriginal served arsenic pupil assemblage president astatine UNLV. He served 4 presumption successful Congress and aboriginal served connected the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.
Two of Bilbray’s daughters besides followed him into politics, and helium has an simple schoolhouse successful Las Vegas named aft him. He was joined to his wife, Michaelene, for much than 60 years. He said successful 2011 that his roots successful Nevada would beryllium permanent.
“I was calved here, I was raised present and I’ll dice here,” helium said. “I emotion Vegas, and I’ll ever enactment here.”
Carole Vilardo
Carole Vilardo, the erstwhile Nevada Taxpayers Association president, died Dec. 5 astatine 80. Vilardo started with the NTA successful 1986 and served arsenic president from 1989 until her status successful 2016.
She was remembered arsenic a “careful, creative, and captious thinker” who had a profound interaction connected the enactment and different groups successful Nevada. She besides served connected respective section and authorities committees during her career.
Tempest Storm
Legendary burlesque prima Tempest Storm died April 20 astatine 93. Storm blazed a way for striptease artists for much than a half-century.
“Tempest was easy 1 of the best-known and highest-regarded burlesque performer of each time, and was an progressive portion of the burlesque assemblage close to the end,” Burlesque Hall of Fame Executive Director Dustin Wax said. “She volition beryllium missed terribly successful the Burlesque assemblage and good beyond it.”
Don Hill
Don Hill, the saxophonist for The Treniers, died June 25 astatine 99. Born successful Texas, Hill started playing trumpet erstwhile helium was 6 and started playing saxophone arsenic a teenager. The Treniers — named for their twin-brother frontmen — besides were pioneers of Las Vegas’ lounge scene. The group’s exuberant show benignant was captured successful a fistful of movies, including “The Girl Can’t Help It” and “Don’t Knock the Rock,” some successful 1956.
Hill played with The Treniers for 55 years and played astir each lounge connected the Strip.
Dave Hickey
Dave Hickey, an creation professional and erstwhile UNLV English professor, died Nov. 12 of bosom disease. He was 82. Hickey, who lived successful Las Vegas for astir 20 years, was a 2001 MacArthur Fellowship “genius grant” recipient.
“Dave felt that Las Vegas had a civilization wherever everyone was equal, due to the fact that determination was nary instauration that had a precise heavy past,” said his wife, Libby Lumpkin. “He felt determination was a state of inventing oneself successful Vegas that was much imaginable than anyplace other connected Earth. He saw it arsenic a peculiarly American city.”
Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks, the erstwhile heavyweight satellite champion who stunned Muhammad Ali to triumph the rubric successful 1978, died Feb. 5 aft a five-year conflict with cancer. He was 67.
Spinks, an Olympic golden medalist successful 1976, outpointed Ali successful 1 of boxing’s biggest upsets to triumph the rubric successful Las Vegas earlier losing it successful their rematch. He fought six times successful Las Vegas and moved to the vale successful 2011.
The Review-Journal is owned by the household of Dr. Miriam Adelson, widow of Sheldon Adelson and the bulk shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Contact Jonah Dylan astatine jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan connected Twitter.
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