On June 16, American businessman of Armenian descent Kirk Kerkorian passed away at the age of 98, USA Today reports.
Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian (June 6, 1917 - June 16, 2015) was an American businessman. He was the president/CEO of Tracinda Corporation, his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California. Kerkorian is known as one of the important figures in shaping Las Vegas and, with architect Martin Stern, Jr. the "father of the mega-resort".
An Armenian American, Kerkorian supported Armenia and Artsakh through his Lincy Foundation. It was established in 1989 and was particularly focused on helping to rebuild northern Armenia after the 1988 earthquake.The foundation was dissolved in 2011, after 22 years of charitable activities.
In 2004, Kirk Kerkorian was awarded the title of a national hero of Armenia. The Lincy Foundation provided Armenia with $151 mln for rehabilitation of roads, cultural establishments, housing construction in the disaster zone, as well as $21 mln for development of small and medium businesses in Armenia.