David Koch dead at 79
Headline Roundup August 23rd, 2019
David Koch, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist of Koch Industries fame, is dead at 79. Koch stepped down from his company role last year, citing declining health.
The only stark differences in reports of Koch's death are in characterizing his politics; some described him as a libertarian, while others described him as conservative.
Conservative billionaire David Koch has died at the age of 79.
“Sources close to the family say David Koch has died,” New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer tweeted Friday.
A family spokesman confirmed the death to a CBS affiliate in Wichita, Kansas, where Koch was born.
Billionaire conservative icon David Koch has died at age 79, CBS News has confirmed, according to a source close to the Koch family. The New York resident was suffering from deteriorating health as of late, according to a letter Koch's older brother Charles Koch sent to company officials last summer.
He wrote at the time: "We are deeply saddened by this, as we miss David's insightful questions and his many contributions to Koch Industries."
David Koch was a billionaire, industrialist, philanthropist, political activist and onetime vice presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party.
Koch and his 83-year-old brother, Charles, ran Koch Industries, one of the nation’s largest privately held conglomerates. Its investments include subsidiaries involved with manufacturing, refining and distribution of chemicals, fibers and minerals.
Their father, Fred Koch, founded the company in 1940, the year David was born.
