When people have given up on life, they sometimes do strange things. According to Elitedaily.com, a multi-millionaire in Manhattan jumped to his death right after giving away several hundred million dollars to charity.
Robert Wilson was 86-years old when he decided that it was time to move to his next life. The mogul and hedge fund manager had a net worth of $800 million, and gave all except for $100 million to charity. They say that the only reason he didn’t give away the rest is because it was locked up in long-term investments.
The man jumped 16 floors on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. His friends say that they could see the signs of a pending suicide. He’d been behaving strangely since suffering a stroke last month. They say that, since that time, he was giving away nearly all of the money in his accounts.
Wilson had a massive fortune, but no children to leave money to. He was divorced 35 years ago.
“His plan was to give all his money away. He told me recently, ‘I only have about $100million left,’” friend Stephen Viscusi told The New York Post.
The four charities that the man left his money to were: The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Monuments Fund.
“He was the most committed person I have ever known,” World Monuments Fund president Bonnie Burnham told The Post. “More than his financial contributions, he brought an astute mind and sharp wit to the organization. He will be missed greatly and long remembered as a visionary donor.”
Wilson loved to give. He even gave money to Catholic schools despite the fact that he didn’t believe in God.
“I’m an atheist, but I think the schools are especially good,” he said to the Financial Times.
Wilson’s greatest prize was his apartment, which he’d owned since 1978. His art collection was so exquisite that the apartment’s value rose from $300,000 to $20 million.
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