Digital Journal: Billionaire financier Kirk Kerkorian dead: MGM Resorts
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Kirk Kerkorian
Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was the president and CEO of Tracinda Corporation, his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California. Kerkorian was one of the important figures in the shaping of Las Vegas and, with architect Martin Stern Jr., is described as the "father of the mega-resort". He built the world's largest hotel in Las…
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business · American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (1917–2015) · aircraft pilot · entrepreneur · financier · boxer · film producer · businessperson · also Kirk Kerkorian, Kerkorian
Born 6 June 1917 · Died 15 June 2015 · Q356068
36 published statements · 0 followers
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2015· 3 entries
Died 2015-06-15.
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The marriage lasted only 57 days and divorce proceedings were underway when Kerkorian died on June 15, 2015.
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2013· 1 entry
Was listed as the 412th richest person with a net worth of $3
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2011· 1 entry
After 22 years of charitable activities after dispensing its last $200 million to University of California, Los Angeles
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2008· 1 entry
Was $16 billion according to Forbes magazine, making him the 41st richest person in the world and the richest person in California at that time
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2007· 1 entry
80% of the Chrysler arm of Daimler-Chrysler was sold to Cerberus for $7
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2006· 4 entries
Tracinda said it had agreed to sell another 14 million shares of GM, cutting Kerkorian's stake to half of what it had been earlier that year
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Kerkorian's Tracinda investment corporation offered to buy 15 million shares of MGM Mirage to increase his stake in the gambling giant from 56
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Kerkorian sold 14 million shares of his GM stake (it is speculated that this action was due to GM's rejection of Renault and Nissan's bids for stakes in the company as both of these bids were strongly supported by Kerkor
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The Los Angeles Times reported that Kerkorian's attorneys were being sued by Bonder because of their connection to former high-profile private investigator Anthony Pellicano, who in 2008 began serving a fifteen-year pris
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2005· 1 entry
Kerkorian sold MGM once more to a consortium led by Sony
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2004· 1 entry
Awarded National Hero of Armenia (2004).
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2000· 1 entry
Time magazine named him the 10th largest donor in the US
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1997· 1 entry
And bought the pre-April 1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment library in 1999 from its parent Philips, which was in the process of selling PolyGram to Seagram
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1995· 1 entry
When with the assistance of retired Chrysler chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca, Kerkorian staged a takeover attempt of the Chrysler Corporation
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1990· 2 entries
The lot was sold to Sony Corporation's Columbia Pictures Entertainment in exchange for the half of Warner Bros
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The MGM film company was purchased by Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti, who then merged the former Cannon with the MGM purchase to create the short-lived MGM-Pathé Communications
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1989· 1 entry
And particularly focused on helping to rebuild northern Armenia after the 1988 earthquake
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1987· 1 entry
MGM funded the launch of MGM Grand Air, an all-premium class airline that flew transcontinental routes
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1986· 1 entry
Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand hotels in Las Vegas and Reno for $594 million to Bally Manufacturing
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1980· 1 entry
The original MGM Grand burned in a fire that was one of the worst disasters in Las Vegas history
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1979· 1 entry
Kerkorian issued a statement claiming that MGM was now primarily a hotel company; however, he also managed to expand the overall film library and production system with the purchase of United Artists (UA) from Transameri
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1973· 1 entry
And gradually distanced himself from the daily operation of MGM
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1969· 2 entries
Kerkorian appointed James Thomas Aubrey Jr
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Kerkorian (with architect Martin Stern Jr
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1968· 2 entries
Made Kerkorian $9 million ($70 million today)
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Sold TIA to Transamerica Corporation, an insurance company, with his share being $104 million, his first fortune
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1967· 1 entry
Bought 82 acres (33 ha) of land on Paradise Road in Las Vegas for $5 million and, with architect Martin Stern Jr
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1962· 2 entries
Also sold TIA to Studebaker, then seeking to diversify, with Kerkorian left in charge
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Kerkorian bought 80 acres (32 ha) in Las Vegas, across the Las Vegas Strip from the Flamingo for $960,000
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1960· 1 entry
Kerkorian changed the name of LAAS to Trans International Airlines (TIA) and in 1962 bought a Douglas DC-8 jet, putting it immediately to work on a military charter contract
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1948· 1 entry
His partnership bought Los Angeles Air Service (LAAS), a so-called irregular air carrier (a carrier started without formal government approval)
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1946· 1 entry
While he was flying a DC-3 from Hawaii to the mainland, his crew issued a mayday when the ferry tank system malfunctioned and the engines quit
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1917· 2 entries
In Fresno, California, to Armenian parents who escaped present-day Turkey via cattle boat during the Armenian genocide
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Born 1917-06-06.
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