World's Wealthiest Woman Passes Away: Things To Know

Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress to the L’Oreal fortune, passed away at the age of 94. She was the daughter of the company’s founder. Her net worth was around $44 billion -- the wealthiest woman in the world -- according to Forbes.

"We all had a deep admiration for Liliane Bettencourt, who always looked after L'Oreal -- the company and its employees, and was dedicated to its success and development," Jean-Paul Agon, L'Oreal's president, said in a statement.

Here are a few things to know about Bettencourt:

She started working at L’Oreal when she was just 15. She continued working at the company till she was 89

Her daughter tried to declare that she was mentally incapable of handling her affairs. She did this after she found out that Bettencourt was considering adopting a young photographer, Francois-Marie Banier. 

Liliane had already given Banier artwork, money and even an island. Banier was soon found guilty of swindling her out of $1.4 billion!

The photographer had befriended her and had been by her side for over two decades. The case, titled "the Bettencourt Affair" had caught the imagination of France when it happened. 

The Bettencourt family owns 33 per cent of the L’Oreal Group. After she stepped down from the board, her grandson took over.

Liliane had a charmed childhood. She grew up surrounded by luxury and servants to wait on her. She married French politician Andre Bettencourt in 1950.

Her mother had passed away when she was just five years old. She had a very close relationship with her father, and inherited the entire empire after he died in 1957.

In a statement, her daughter said, “In this painful moment for us, I would like to reiterate, on behalf of our family, our entire commitment and loyalty to L’Oreal and to renew my confidence in its President Jean-Paul Agon and his teams worldwide.”

Also Read: Beyond family fortunes: Four industrialist daughters carving their niche

Picture Credit: The Independent