“In his long career, [Jerry] Perenchio, who died Tuesday at his Bel-Air home, deftly pulled the levers of power to create culturally defining media events, propel political candidates, collect masterpiece artworks and become one of the richest men in Los Angeles,” writes Meg James in the Los Angeles Times, adding that Perenchio “was 86 and was diagnosed with lung cancer five months ago.”

She notes that the “enigmatic billionaire lived in a mansion that was familiar to millions of television viewers as the home of the fictional Clampett clan of the 1960s television sitcom ‘The Beverly Hillbillies.’”

Ted Johnson, in his Variety obituary, writes, “His personal wealth, along with an early career managing high-profile stars and promoting major sporting events, belied a fierce determination to stay out of the limelight, in which he granted few interviews and rarely allowed his associates to do the same.”

Johnson adds, “A partner with Norman Lear in the production of such shows as “The Jeffersons” and “One Day at a Time,” Perenchio made a fortune on megahits of the 1970s, particularly from the sale of the shows into syndication.

“No media investment, however, was as lucrative for Perenchio as the one in Univision, which he sold to a consortium led by Haim Saban at a price of $13.7 billion in 2007. According to Forbes, Perenchio netted $1.1 billion on an initial $33 million investment. In 2014, the magazine estimated his net worth at $2.6 billion.”

To read more details about Perenchio’s life and career we suggest you click here, which takes you to the L.A. Times story, or here, which takes you to Variety’s obituary.