Billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell passes away.
Sam Zell, a billionaire real estate investor known as "the grave dancer" for his ability to revive struggling properties, has died at the age of 81 due to complications from a recent illness. Zell amassed a fortune of $3.8 billion through his real estate investments, including the sale of Equity Office to Blackstone Group for $39 billion in 2007. He also co-founded the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Zell was fiercely protective of his personal life and is survived by his wife, three children, and nine grandchildren.