Millionaire Richard Lugner who ‘paid Kim Kardashian $500,000 to be his plus one’ dies at 91
Austrian millionaire Richard Lugner has passed away at the age of 91. A business tycoon and entrepreneur, Richard died at his home in Austria on Monday, August 12, per multiple reports. Richard Lugner passes away just two months after getting married for the sixth time. He married 42-year-old Simone Reilände on June 1 at Vienna […]
Austrian millionaire Richard Lugner has passed away at the age of 91. A business tycoon and entrepreneur, Richard died at his home in Austria on Monday, August 12, per multiple reports.
Richard Lugner passes away just two months after getting married for the sixth time. He married 42-year-old Simone Reilände on June 1 at Vienna City Hall in Vienna. The millionaire’s love life appears to have been eventful, and his social schedule was also busy throughout his life. Richard would have various celebrities accompany him to the Vienna Opera Ball each year, one of which was Kim Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian was Richard Lugner’s plus one
The Kardashians star Kim Kardashian is known for being a socialite. But, back in the day, she was taken under the wing of a socialite of all socialites, Richard Lugner.
In 2014, Kim accompanied Richard to the Vienna Opera Ball. Her mom, Kris Jenner, was also in attendance.
Per Celebrity Net Worth: “He reportedly paid Kim Kardashian $500,000 and then she refused to dance with him.”
Late businessman Richard “was known for paying celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Pamela Anderson hundreds of thousands of dollars to be his plus one to lavish events,” reports Page Six.
The New York Post previously reported: “… Austrian billionaire Richard Lugner has paid for nights with beautiful B-list bombshells. He pays them about $150,000 and, in exchange, they sign autographs at one of his shopping malls and then accompany him to Austria’s premier social event, the Vienna Opera Ball.”
The post adds more famous faces Richard had accompany him to the event: “Paris Hilton, actresses Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, and Andie MacDowell, and burlesque performer Dita Von Teese.”
While the annual Opera Ball saw Richard with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson, Goldie Hawn, Jane Fonda, and Priscilla Presley on his arm, he also partied with Geri Halliwell and Grace Jones in his time, per The Sun.
GRV Media and Reality Tidbit have approached Kim Kardashian’s representatives for comment.
Richard leaves behind four children
Just two months after marrying for the last time, Richard passed away.
He was hospitalized in July after experiencing chronic back pain in June. Page Six writes: “His health continued to decline on July 12 when he was rushed to the Vienna General Hospital due to a ruptured heart valve.”
“Emergency services rushed to his villa on Monday but were unable to revive him,” reports The Sun.
Richard has passed but he leaves behind a legacy. The millionaire was well known for building his Lugner City shopping center in Vienna in 1990.
His five marriages were to Christine Gmeiner from 1961 to 1978, Cornelia Laufersweiler from 1979 to 1983, Susanne Dietrich from 1984 to 1989, Christina Lugner from 1990 to 2007, and Cathy Schmitz from 2014 to 2016.
Despite being labeled a “billionaire” throughout his life, Celebrity Net Worth estimates Richard’s net worth at $200 million:
“In 2014, when attempting to be included in an Austrian magazine’s list of the country’s richest citizens, Richard’s own financial reports showed that he was worth the equivalent of $160 million USD at that time. He also claimed that his net worth increased by roughly $10 million every year. Unfortunately Richard’s ‘billionaire’ status was largely the work of a good publicist.”
The construction industry mogul leaves behind four children: Jacqueline, Nadine, Alexander, and Andreas, reports People.
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