Donald E. Newhouse, the billionaire media mogul who ran Advance Publications, the parent company of Condé Nast, died Tuesday after a battle with lymphoma. He was 96.
Newhouse’s son, Steven Newhouse, confirmed his passing to The New York Times, sharing the media giant died at his home in Lambertville, N.J.
Given Newhouse’s prior role as president of the The Star-Ledger, his son also shouted out the outlet in a statement to NJ.com, noting, “My Dad loved the Star-Ledger. Each workday he left home for Newark in the early morning darkness filled with excitement. He was especially proud of the great stories produced by Star-Ledger reporters.”
Born Donald Edward Newhouse on August 5, 1929 to Samuel I. Newhouse — the media mogul who started the storied conglomerate in 1922 with the acquisition of the Staten Island Advance — and Mitzi Epstein in New York City, Newhouse would later inherit his father’s empire, running it alongside his brother, Samuel I. Newhouse Jr. (a.k.a. Si).
While Newhouse ran the newspaper division of Advance Publications, his older brother oversaw the Condé Nast properties, including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Architectural Digest and more. Nonetheless, the younger Newhouse brother oversaw the expansion of Advance Publications, bringing The Plain Dealer, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Oregonian, The Times of Trenton and more into the fold.
“If Si was by nature retiring and reflective, Donald was an outward-blazing light,” Anna Wintour, Global Editorial Director of Vogue and Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast, said in a statement to media. “You reveled in his company. He filled you with energy and humor when you felt doubtful and weak.”
Newhouse was also known for being a philanthropist and advocate for frontotemporal dementia. His wife, Susan Newhouse, died in 2015 after being diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a form of Frontotemporal Dementia. His brother passed in 2017, having also battled dementia. In the years following, Newhouse became dedicated to finding a cure and supported the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
“Don transformed AFTD with his generosity, his kindness, his quiet leadership, and his impassioned hope for a future free of FTD,” Susan Dickinson, former CEO of AFTD, said in a statement to NJ.com. “Thanks to him, we are closer to accurate diagnosis and treatment of this disease; and AFTD has been able to deepen our commitment to serve and support the community of families affected. He leaves a legacy of greater awareness, strong community and reduced stigma.”
While Newhouse was predeceased by his aforementioned wife and brother, he is survived by Si’s wife, his three children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.
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