Steve Bing, philanthropist and film producer, dies after fall from building
Steve Bing, left, with actors Alana Stewart and George Hamilton at the Green Acres Estate in Beverly Hills in 2016. (Frazer Harrison)
Steve Bing, philanthropist, film producer and prominent democratic political donor, whose production credits included "The Polar Express" and "Get Carter" died on Monday.
55-year-old Bing died in a tower block in Century City, according to a law enforcement agency that was not authorized to comment. Fouling is not suspected, the source said.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman answered a call at around 1 p.m. about the death of a man in his fifties on the 10,000 block on Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City. The site is a 40-story luxury apartment complex called Ten Thousand.
"This is the only information we currently have," said Captain Gisselle Espinoza, a LAPD spokeswoman.
Known as media averse, the real estate sprout was a Harvard Westlake graduate who inherited $ 600 million in fortune at the age of 18.
Bing, a major Democratic donor and friend of President Bill Clinton, went to Stanford, but dropped out in his junior year to devote himself to filmmaking. Rangy and silver-haired, the 6-foot-4 producer was often seen casually dressed in jeans and sneakers.
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I loved Steve Bing very much. He had a big heart and was ready to do anything for the people and concerns he believed in. I will miss him and his enthusiasm more than I can say and I hope he has finally found peace.
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Clinton joined the online participants and expressed their sadness. "I loved Steve Bing a lot," Clinton tweeted. "He had a big heart and was ready to do anything for the people and concerns he believed in. I will miss him and his enthusiasm more than I can say. I hope he finally found peace."
Bing's name was brought into the spotlight when he was involved in two publicly known paternity cases. In one case, he sued British actress Elizabeth Hurley to force a DNA test after she said he was her baby's father.
In the other case, he sued Kirk Kerkorian for privacy violation after the billionaire's private eye - the notorious Anthony Pellicano - flossed Bings out of his trash can. Kerkorian was involved in a maintenance claim with his ex-wife Lisa Bonder. He used the flossing DNA to prove that Bing was the father of Bonder's child, Kira.
An English court revealed that Bing was indeed the father of Hurley's baby. Hurley and Bing's son, Damian, turned 18 in April.
Both Hurley and Damian posted on social media after Bing's death. "It's a terrible ending," said Hurley on her Instagram account, where she had added several photos of her to Bing. "Although we have had some tough times, the good, wonderful memories of a sweet, kind man are important." She said they got close last year and most recently spoke on her son's birthday. Damian Hurley said the news was "devastating".
The source of Bing's wealth was a family real estate fortune that his grandfather Leo Bing had founded. (Bing's middle name is Leo.) The family has a philanthropic history. The name Bing graces art museums and concert halls across the state, including the L.A. County Museum of Art's Leo S. Bing Theater (recently demolished).
His father, Dr. Peter Bing worked for the Johnson White House on public health issues before moving to Los Angeles.
The younger Bing cultivated some of Howard Hughes' mystique of the past few days and reportedly lived at the Bel-Air hotel for years. He was friends with stars like Brad Pitt, but also dropped out with other actors, including Sean Penn, whom he sued for filming.
He was known for his support from filmmakers and musicians. Bing was an avowed lifelong fan of Jerry Lee Lewis and helped finance the musician's return to the recording studio by co-producing his album Rock & Roll Time with seasoned studio drummer Jim Keltner. He produced Martin Scorsese's "Shine a Light" documentary about the Rolling Stones.
Before he finished school, Bing had already written his first screenplay entitled "Missing in Action" with the experienced sitcom author Arthur Silver. It was made into a Chuck Norris film and produced a sequel.
He made an erotic thriller entitled "Every Breath" with Judd Nelson who went straight to the video.
Bing founded his own production company, Shangri-La Entertainment, in 2000 and produced several films, including the Sylvester Stallone picture "Get Carter" and the Bill Murray comedy "Rock the Kasbah". He invested approximately $ 85 million in financing Robert Zemeckis' 2004 animated film "The Polar Express" with Tom Hanks.
Bing also gave for many musical and artistic purposes.
The musician Flea, known as the bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, published on social media that Bing was "a kind and thoughtful man". He was a great help in building the Silverlake Conservatory of Music and helped us raise children. Those who could not otherwise afford it just cared about it and never wanted awards. God bless his beautiful soul. "
In 2012, Bing pledged $ 30 million in bequests to the film and television fund. "We were extremely grateful when he gave the gift," said Bob Beitcher, managing director of the MPTF. "He was a great supporter."
The Times employee, Kevin Rector, contributed to this report.
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