Billionaire Thomas H. Lee mourned by Clintons and Dr. Oz at funeral in New York after suicide

Thomas H. Lee, the billionaire financier who took his own life suddenly last week, was mourned Monday as a financial genius and humble family man.

Dignitaries, including the Clintons and Dr. Oz, interacted with former associates and grieving relatives at a memorial service in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Room for a man once known as “the envy of Wall Street.”

His widow Ann Tenenbaum shared a grim thought through her brother-in-law Lee during the service.

“Ann wanted to share this with you,” David Bensinger said. “Let’s all remember the 79 amazing years of Tom’s life and let’s not let it all be overshadowed by one bad moment at the end.”

Meanwhile, Lee’s brother called the dead man “my rock and my rock,” noting that even his family might never know why he chose to commit suicide.

“As we all know, Tom left us too soon and we will never have an answer,” said John Lee. “We don’t know much about each other. We want everyone to always think that everything is fine.

“We owe it to Tom and ourselves to talk to each other and not hide behind walls,” Lee continued. “So, Tom, you were the master of the universe. In your opinion, I know that you are calm.

Li, 78, was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head in the bathroom of his family office on Thursday, and the city medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.

A married father of five and grandfather of two, Lee was a financial titan who was once called “the envy of Wall Street” for his business savvy and powerful friends.

“Tom was always present,” said Hillary Clinton, Lee’s longtime friend, who was joined at the funeral by her husband and former President Bill Clinton.

“We’ve had birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, White House dinner parties, lively parties from New York to Martha’s Vineyard and the Hamptons in good times and bad times,” she told mourners.

“We are here to express our gratitude over the years as friends, as colleagues and of course as family members for his long successful life.”

Dr. Mehmet Oz, speaking to The Post outside Lincoln Center, called the memorial service “one of the most elegant and beautiful experiences” and called it “an outpouring of love” for Lee.

Lee was a Harvard graduate who went on to become the king of lucrative leveraged buyouts.

At the height of his career, Lee invested $30 million to buy soft drink giant Snapple in 1992 before selling it to Quaker Oats just two years later for $1.7 billion.

In 1996, he teamed up with Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital to buy credit company TRW for $1.1 billion in a leveraged buyout and sell it for $1.7 billion just seven weeks later.

A close friend of the Clintons, who were frequent visitors to his Hampton mansion, Lee was also known for his art collection and his philanthropic work.

“While the world knew him as one of the private equity pioneers and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, sister, friend, and philanthropist who always puts the needs of others before his own,” Lee. family friend and spokesman Michael Sitric said in a statement last week.

Authorities have not disclosed why Li took his own life.

According to a source who knew Lee well, the billionaire has lost about 60 pounds over the past nine months by telling people he was on a diet.

“He went from one extreme to another,” the source said.

Lee was also a major political figure whose massive mansion in the trendy Hamptons famously became the Clintons’ hideout after the failed 2008 presidential primaries.

“I was exhausted and frustrated and the first people to say, ‘Hey, come with us,’ were Tom and Ann,” Hillary Clinton said on Monday. “We escaped it all to their beautiful home in the Hamptons.

“It was the perfect place to get away, sleep, eat well and be in good company,” she said.

She described Lee as a “committed supporter” who would “demonstrate his partisan, even rabid political convictions without much coercion”.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24-hour suicide prevention hotline on 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

Additional report by Josh Kosman