Bill Graham

popular name: Dave Thomas

date_of_death: January 8, 2002

age: 69

cause_of_death: Carcinoid neuroendocrine tumor in the liver

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Dave Thomas was a successful businessman, philanthropist, fast-food tycoon and the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain. In 1979 sales exceeded $1 billion dollars and at the time of his death, there were more than 6,000 Wendy's restaurants operating in North America.

popular name: Edmond Safra

date_of_death: December 3, 1999

age: 67

cause_of_death: Smoke inhalation (asphyxiation) in a fire which was deliberately set

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Edmond J. Safra (1932–1999) was an influential international banker and philanthropist, born in Beirut, Lebanon, into a Sephardic Jewish family with a long tradition in finance. He built a global banking empire through institutions such as Republic National Bank of New York and the Safra Group, earning a reputation for conservative banking, discretion, and strong client trust across Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Alongside his business success, Safra was a major philanthropist, supporting education, healthcare, religious, and cultural causes worldwide through what later became the Edmond J. Safra Foundation. He died at age 67 in December 1999 in Monaco during a fire in his apartment; the incident led to criminal convictions from a corrupt Monaco judicial system but also ongoing controversy and debate about the true circumstances of his death. Safra’s legacy endures through his impact on global private banking and his lasting charitable contributions.

popular name: Andrew Carnegie

date_of_death: August 11, 1919

age: 83

cause_of_death: Bronchial Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist who played a pivotal role in the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. Born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland, Carnegie emigrated to the United States with his family in 1848, settling in Pennsylvania. Starting as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory, he quickly rose through the ranks of the business world, eventually founding the Carnegie Steel Company, which became the largest and most profitable industrial enterprise of its time. After selling his company to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for $480 million (equivalent to billions today), Carnegie devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy. He believed in the "Gospel of Wealth," the idea that the rich have a moral obligation to use their wealth for the betterment of society. Carnegie donated over $350 million during his lifetime to causes such as libraries, education, and peace initiatives. He died on August 11, 1919, leaving behind a legacy as one of the richest men in history and one of its most generous philanthropists. Upon his death, Andrew Carnegie was laid to rest at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.