Alan Meltzer, lonely after his wife left him, repaid his driver and doorman who gave him a shoulder to cry on -- by making them rich after his death
Alan Meltzer, lonely after his wife left him, repaid his driver and doorman who gave him a shoulder to cry onu00a0-- by making them rich after his death
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Alan Meltzer, also a prolific poker player, left $1 million to his chauffeur and $500,000 (Rs 2.47 crore) to his doorman after his sudden death last October.
What a tipper! Music mogul Alan Meltzer handed over Rs 2.47 crore to his doorman after he provided friendly support to Meltzer during his divorce |
His beneficiaries were stunned by Meltzer's generosity.
Chauffeur Jean Laborde said, "I don't know what to do exactly with the money, but one thing I know for sureu00a0-- every year, I'm going to bring the guy some flowers at his grave."
The 54-year-old father of five, from Irvington, New Jersey, added, "He was such a nice guy. He left me money, but it's not a good deal for me because it means he's no longer here."
His doorman Chamil Demirag from Brooklyn, New York said, "He was a generous guy. He was a really good friend of mine, and I was a good friend of his. It's a surprise. Peace and rest to him. That's all I can say."
Meltzer founded New-York based Wind-Up Records with his wife, Diana in 1997.
Wind-up, the largest independently-owned record label in the world, has bands including Evanescence and Creed on its books.
Wife speaks
Meltzer and his wife, a former model, divorced in 2010 after 13 years together.
Diana said she 'could care less' that she received nothing of her former husband's $10 (Rs 50 crore) million fortune.
"He can leave it to whoever he wants to. I'm doing fine. I could care less," she said.
"If he wants to give it to the bums, he can give it to the bums. He can give his money to whoever he wants.
We're divorced. The man is dead."
The cause of Meltzer's sudden death is still unknown.
Before forming Wind-Up, Meltzer was a pretzel vendor on the streets of Brooklyn, New York.
He went on to form CD One Stop, a chain of record stores in New York and Connecticut.
The entrepreneur was also a well-known face on the poker circuit and appeared on cable television show High Stakes Poker in 2009.
He had owned a series of extravagant properties in his lifetime, including a penthouse in the celebrity-filled One Beacon Court on New York's Upper East Side.