Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress of L’Oreal cosmetics and the world’s richest woman has died at her home in France at the age of 94.
Bettencourt’s daughter, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, said in a written statement on Thursday that her mother “left peacefully” overnight.
Liliane Bettencourt was the daughter of Eugene Schueller, who founded L’Oreal in the early 20th century.
Forbes magazine estimated her fortune to be worth $39.5 billion this year.
In a statement, L’Oréal chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Agon expressed his condolences to the family and said: “We all had a deep admiration for Liliane Bettencourt who has always watched over L’Oréal, the company and its employees, and who was very attached to its success and development.
