Behind every billionaire there is a story!

Roland Arnall aged 68 dies

Billionaire Roland E. Arnall, whose widespread philanthropy and extraordinary political friendships stood in contrast to repeated investigations into alleged lending abuses at his giant subprime company, Ameriquest Mortgage Co., died Monday. The longtime Holmby Hills resident was 68.

Arnall, a Holocaust survivor who co-founded the Simon Wiesenthal Center, had resigned as President Bush’s ambassador to the Netherlands on March 7, returning to Los Angeles to be with a seriously ill son, the family said.

The senior Arnall was diagnosed Wednesday with esophageal cancer that had metastasized and died early Monday at UCLA Medical Center, a spokesman for the family said.

Intensely private about his business and charitable affairs, Arnall was personally a gregarious character known for befriending service workers he encountered, along with some of the most powerful politicians in California and the nation.

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