Las Vegas Sands Founder Sheldon Adelson Dies at 87

One of the giants of Las Vegas has passed away.

The Las Vegas Sands on Tuesday announced that its founder, CEO, and chairman Sheldon G. Adelson, passed away on Monday night at the age of 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Adelson, who made his first fortune developing trade shows for the computer industry starting in 1979, purchased the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1988, helping transform the casino, which was once the hangout of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, and the Sands brand into a major force along the strip and in other areas of the world.

During his time leading Sands, Adelson expanded the brand’s portfolio, building the Sands Expo and Convention Center, which launched in Las Vegas in 1991, and The Venetian hotel along the strip, which opened in 1999. He also led the Sands’ expansion into Macau, China, where it operates the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, and in Singapore, where it operates the Marina Bay Sands.

In a statement announcing the news, the Sands remembered Adelson as “Team Member Number One.”

“Our founder and visionary leader, Sheldon G. Adelson, passed away last night at the age of 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Born to immigrant parents and raised in a poor section of Boston, Mr. Adelson went from a teenager selling newspapers on a street corner to becoming one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs,” the Sands said in its statement.

“His achievements in the integrated resort and hospitality industry are well-documented.  In Las Vegas, Macao and Singapore, Mr. Adelson’s vision for integrated resorts transformed the industry, changed the trajectory of the company he founded, and reimagined tourism in each of those markets.  His impact on the industry will be everlasting.”