Lily Safra

AKA:

The Gilded Lily

Birth Name:

Lily Watkins

Birth Date:

December 30, 1934

Birth Place:

Porto Alegre, Brazil

Death Date:

July 9, 2022

Place of Death:

Geneva, Switzerland

Age:

Cause of Death:

Pancreatic cancer

Cemetery Name:

Cimetière Israélite de Veyrier

Claim to Fame:

Business and Finance

Lily Safra (1934–2022) was a Brazilian-born philanthropist, socialite and a prominent charitable donor. Born Lily Watkins in Porto Alegre, Brazil, she later moved to Europe and became a well-known figure in international high society through a series of high-profile marriages, most notably to Lebanese-Brazilian banker Edmond J. Safra, founder of Republic National Bank. After Edmond Safra’s death in 1999, Lily Safra inherited $800 million and devoted much of her life to philanthropy, donating millions of dollars to causes in healthcare, medical research, education, culture, and humanitarian aid. She supported institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, the British Museum, and numerous hospitals and universities around the world.

Fun Facts

In 1965, Lily Safra married Alfredo Monteverde. He was a Romanian Jewish immigrant who fled Europe in 1939 and was a leader in the Brazilian household appliance distribution business, where he established the Ponto Frio brand. Lily adopted his child, named Carlos. In 1969, Monteverde allegedly killed himself with two shotgun blasts to the chest (yes – you read that right). A month after his death, Safra moved to London. Her late husband’s banker, Edmond Safra, helped her secure control over her late spouse’s entire fortune.

A cloud of suspension hangs over Lily as she was the one to send security home the day Edmond Safra was murdered. Edmond’s brothers have gone so far as to say she was involved in his demise. Monaco police and the fire department waited nearly 3 hours while Edmond and his nurse were trapped in the burning inferno.

After her husband’s death, many of her donations came through selling pieces of her vast art collection. In 2012 she sold 70 pieces of jewelry, including a 34.05-carat rectangular-cut diamond ring, to benefit 20 charities, including one that aided impoverished Rwandan children.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimetière Israélite de Veyrier

16 chemin de l'Arvaz, 1255 Veyrier

, Geneva,

Switzerland

Europe

Grave Location:

Plot A000Q

Grave Location Description

At the entrance in Switzerland there is a touch-screen map and search screen that enables visitors to search for individual graves. Edmond and Lilly are buried together under a large, brown marble memorial. While I don’t have exact directions to the grave, this is a small, public cemetery that is quickly navigated. The GPS location is an estimate based on the second grave photograph. Good luck!

Grave Location GPS

46.169196, 6.188241

Photos:

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FAQ's

Lily Safra was born on December 30, 1934.

Lily Safra was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Lily Safra died on July 9, 2022.

Lily Safra died in Geneva, Switzerland.

Lily Safra was 87.

The cause of death was Pancreatic cancer .

Lily Safra's grave is in Cimetière Israélite de Veyrier

Videos Featuring Lily Safra:

The Death of Billionaire Banker Edmond Safra: What Most Likely Happened

A Tribute to Edmond J. Safra

Lily Safra: The Life, Scandals, and Billion-Dollar Legacy

Death of the World's Richest Murderess

Dominick Dunne's Power Privilege And Justice | The Billionaire Banker’s Death

Lily Safra