The buyer who purchased Rush Limbaugh’s Palm Beach estate for a record $155 million has been revealed as billionaire William Lauder, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Lauder, 62, is the executive chairman of powerhouse cosmetics brand The Estée Lauder Companies, and has a net worth of $3.5 billion, according to Forbes.
The Post reached out to Lauder’s company for comment.
In February 2021, Limbaugh died at home at the age of 70 following a battle with lung cancer.
The Post reported this week the sprawling 2.7-acre property, which consists of three homes — 1495 North Ocean Boulevard, 1501 North Ocean Boulevard, and 108 Mediterranean Road — was purchased with an anonymous LLC.
The conservative commentator’s widow and fourth wife, Kathryn Adams Limbaugh, sold the property after shopping it off-market for eight months.
The radio talk show host purchased the compound in 1998 for $3.9 million. He was still married to his third wife, Marta Fitzgerald, at the time, but they divorced in 2004.
A few years later, in 2010, Limbaugh married Kathryn in a Hawaiian-themed ceremony at the Palm Beach estate.
All together, the property boasts 250 feet of ocean frontage, a two-story library described as a “scaled-down version” of the Biltmore Estate library in North Carolina, a pool, a putting green, and a guard station for 24-hour security services.
The sale is a record for Palm Beach. In 2013, hedge funder Ken Griffin paid $129.6 million for four parcels there.
Lauder recently sold two parcels in the same area for a combined $200 million, according to The Journal.
He bought one in 2020 for around $25.4 million, and the second the following year for an undisclosed amount. Both lots had houses that were demolished.
Lauder also owns an NYC apartment on Park Avenue.
Records show the Limbaugh property consists of a 16,600-square-foot mansion, a 2,900-square-foot house, and a 2,200-square-foot house, with 13 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms all together. There are also four additional guest houses.
The homes were decorated by Limbaugh himself, according to the 2010 biography “An Army of One” by Zev Chafets.
He was said to be inspired by the design of the Palace of Versailles and NYC’s Plaza Hotel.
Limbaugh had continued to host his longstanding radio program throughout his diagnosis.
When he passed away in 2021, Kathryn announced his death on his show.
“I know that I am most certainly not the Limbaugh that you tuned in to listen to today. I, like you, very much wish Rush was behind this golden microphone right now, welcoming you to another exceptional three hours of broadcasting,” she told listeners.
“For over 32 years, Rush has cherished you, loyal audience, and always looked forward to every single show. It is with profound sadness I must share with you directly that our beloved Rush, my wonderful husband, passed away this morning due to complications from lung cancer.”
