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Wallis Annenberg, billionaire
philanthropist who backed arts, science and other causes, dies at 86
[July 29, 2025]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wallis Annenberg, the billionaire
philanthropist who supported the arts, science, education and animal
welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles, died Monday, her family
said.
She was 86. |
Wallis Annenberg, right, presents Elizabeth Taylor, center, and
Sylvester Stallone with Devereux Foundation Awards at a ceremony,
Thursday, July 12, 1984, Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, file) |
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Annenberg died at home from complications related to lung
cancer, the family said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
“Wallis transitioned peacefully and comfortable this morning to
her new adventure,” the statement said. “Cancer may have beaten
her body but it never got her spirit. We will hold her and her
wisdom in our hearts forever.”
Her name adorns institutions across the Los Angeles area,
including the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California
Science Center, the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace senior center and
the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world's largest
bridge for animals on the move, will open next year over an LA
freeway.
During her 16-year tenure as president and chief executive of
the Annenberg Foundation, the nonprofit organization has donated
about $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern
California, the Times reported.
Under Wallis Annenberg's leadership, the foundation expanded its
philanthropic scope beyond media, arts and education to include
animal welfare, environmental conservation and healthcare.
Her father, Walter Annenberg, started the foundation after
selling his publishing empire, including TV Guide and other
publications, in 1989 to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Walter
Annenberg died in 2002.
Wallis Annenberg was a longtime board member of LA's Museum of
Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or
LACMA. In 2002, she gave $10 million to endow LACMA’s director
position.
“Wallis Annenberg blessed the Los Angeles community not only
with her philanthropy, but also with her guidance about how to
improve our community,” said LACMA Chief Executive Michael Govan,
who filled that endowed position in 2006.
Born in Philadelphia, she moved to Los Angeles in the early
1970s after marrying neurosurgeon Seth Weingarten. The couple
divorced in 1975.
Wallis Annenberg received the 2022 National Humanities Medal
from President Joe Biden for her life in philanthropy.
She is survived by four children and five grandchildren.
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