Obituary

Sumner Redstone, Viacom Head Who Built Empire, Dies at 97

  • Billionaire had majority of voting shares of Viacom and CBS
  • Built what was once the world’s second-largest media company
Sumner RedstonePhotographer: ROBYN BECK/AFP

Sumner Redstone, the New England cinema operator who became a billionaire media mogul late in life after buying Viacom Inc., Paramount Pictures and CBS Corp., has died. He was 97.

Redstone died Tuesday afternoon at his home in Los Angeles. His holding company, National Amusements Inc., confirmed the death in a statementBloomberg Terminal Wednesday. No cause was provided.