Jerry Buss | |
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Jerry Buss at the 2009 World Series of Poker
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Born |
Gerald Hatten Buss January 27, 1933 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
Died | February 18, 2013 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 80)
Cause of death | Kidney failure |
Resting place |
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater |
University of Wyoming University of Southern California |
Occupation |
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Known for | Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers |
Home town | Los Angeles, California |
Spouse(s) | JoAnn Mueller (divorced) |
Partner(s) | Karen Demel |
Children | 6, including |
Gerald Hatten Buss (January 27, 1933 – February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, chemist, and philanthropist. He was the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 league championships that were highlighted by the team's Showtime era during the 1980s. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Buss owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California.
Born in Salt Lake City, Buss was raised by his divorced mother, Jessie. When he was nine years old, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles; they moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming, three years later when she remarried. Buss earned a scholarship to the University of Wyoming, graduating with a B.S. degree in two and a half years in 1953. He then returned to Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1957 at the age of 24. Buss started as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines (now the Mine Safety and Health Administration); he then briefly worked in the aerospace industry and was on the faculty of USC's chemistry department. He originally went into real estate investing in order to provide an income so he could continue teaching. His first investment in the 1960s was $1,000 in a West Los Angeles apartment building. Finding great success in the real estate business, he pursued real estate investing full-time. In 1974 Buss produced a movie named Black Eye starring former gridiron star Fred "the Hammer" Williamson. In 1979 Jerry purchased Pickfair Mansion in Beverly Hills from the estate of Mary Pickford. He was also the co-owner of a real estate investment company called Mariani-Buss Associates with his long-time business partner Frank Mariani.