‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ Host Robin Leach’s Cause of Death Revealed

Robin Leach, the columnist famous for hosting Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, died of a stroke on Friday.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where Leach was a columnist, the 76-year-old was hospitalized in November after suffering a stroke in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He died Friday after suffering a second stroke on Monday.

“Despite the past 10 months, what a beautiful life he had. Our Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle and friend Robin Leach passed away peacefully last night at 1:50 a.m. Everyone’s support and love over the past, almost one year, has been incredible and we are so grateful. Memorial arrangements to follow,” Leach’s sons, Steven, Gregg and Rick Leach, said in a statement to the Review-Journal.

When Leach returned to Las Vegas after suffering his first stroke, he was taken to the St. Rose Dominican Siena ICU. He was transferred to a rehab facility, but experienced setbacks during his recovery and could not speak in full sentences. He was moved to the Cleveland Clinic in December and remained in Ohio until May.

After returning to Las Vegas, he continued to recover at a health-care center. On Monday, he suffered a second, more serious stroke and his doctors believed he would not recover.

Leach was born in London, where he began his journalism career. He shot to fame at The Daily Mail, and began writing for American media outlets in the late 1960s. He began appearing on American shows about celebrities, culminating in his breakthrough role as host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous from 1984 to 1995. Each episode ended with Leach’s catchphrase, “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.”

After the show ended, Leach continued covering celebrities and moved to Las Vegas in 1999. In 2016, he joined the Review-Journal. His last column was published on Nov. 17 and covered the Miss Universe pageant.

“Nobody used celebrity more than Robin did,” Larry Ruvo, founder of the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas, said in a statement to the Review-Journal Friday. “He had the ability to set up auction items, he would call in celebrity friends to appear at the Power of Love gala. He was the emcee and did voice-overs. He was the conductor, leading the symphony.”

During his years in Las Vegas, Leach also donated his time to several charities and hosted the first fundraiser for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. He donated his pay from commercials and voice-overs to the Cleveland Clinic.

Photo credit: Bryan Steffy/BMA2015/Getty Images for dcp