Famed billionaire hotel magnate and philanthropist Elaine Wynn has died at the age of 82.
Further details on Wynn’s cause of death, or where and when she died have yet to emerge.
Wynn and her ex-husband Steve designed and ran an eponymous global collection of casinos and hotel resorts synonymous with Las Vegas.
The Wall Street Journal, who broke news of Wynn’s death, said she was the largest individual shareholder in Wynn Resorts.
But she was ousted from her role on its board after divorcing Steve for the second time in 2010.
The colorful couple, who share two daughters called Kevyn and Gillian, originally married in 1963 after meeting on a blind date, and they divorced for the first time in 1986.
They tied the knot again in 1991 but divorced 19 years later.
The casino power couple faced horrific trauma in 1993 when Kevyn was kidnapped.
Stricken Wynn paid a $1.45 million ransom for the safe return of her daughter, with the blundering kidnappers caught when they tried to use the cash to buy a Ferrari.
Wynn was born to a middle-class family of New York Jews and founded Vegas’ iconic Mirage Resorts with Steve in 1976.
The couple went on to develop the famously glitzy Wynn resorts in 2000. Their combined efforts were credited with revitalizing the Vegas Strip and helping the area shake off its seedy reputation.
Wynn Resorts issued a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about her passing.
‘We are all deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Elaine Wynn, and send our condolences to her daughters, grandchildren, and her many close friends,’ the company said.
‘As co-founder and one of the largest shareholders of Wynn Resorts, she helped to create and grow the company to become the most esteemed luxury resort brand in the world.
‘Her many talents and special touches are indelibly imprinted on the company and still evident throughout our resorts.
‘Elaine cared deeply about the employees of our resorts.
‘The current and former employees who worked alongside her to create Wynn and Encore Las Vegas cherish the many fond memories they have of her, especially of when they opened Wynn Las Vegas with her 20 years ago this month.
‘She was a tireless advocate for Las Vegas, for children and their education, and for the arts. We’re grateful that the enduring sense of philanthropy she instilled in our company continues to this day.’
Wynn spoke about moving to Las Vegas in 1967 with author Jack Sheehan, for a biography he wrote about her mentor, banker E Parry Thomas.
‘Initially I did feel very out of place because I still was in most respects a very traditional middle-class Jewish girl … and life here seemed pretty fast,’ Wynn said.
‘But I had grown up in Miami Beach, and it was a similar environment to Las Vegas minus the gaming. A lot of the same people who wound up in Las Vegas.’
Born Elaine Pascal, the hotel tycoon was raised in New York City and graduated from George Washington University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
She met her ex-husband Steve on a blind date, and they ran his father’s East Coast bingo parlors together.
They moved to Las Vegas in 1967 after he purchased a stake in a since-closed hotel and casino.
Together they forged some of the most famous attractions on the Las Vegas strip, including the Mirage and its erupting volcano, and the Bellagio fountains.
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