BLOOMFIELD HILLS, mich. — A. Alfred Taubman, the self-made Michigan billionaire whose philanthropy and business success — including weaving the enclosed shopping mall into American culture — was clouded by a criminal conviction for price fixing late in his career, has died. He was 91.
Taubman, who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to universities, hospitals and museums, died of a heart attack Friday night at his home, said son Robert S. Taubman, president and CEO of Taubman Centers Inc.
Taubman’s business success spanned from real estate and art houses to the hot dog-serving A&W restaurant chain. He also became a major backer of stem cell research.
It was his rearrangement of how people shop — parking lot in front, several stores in one stop close to home — that left a mark on American culture. Taubman Centers, founded in 1950, currently owns and manages 19 regional shopping centers nationwide. The Associated Press
