Ah, the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
There’s a reason why tabloids make so much money; everyone wants to know how wealthy people are living their life. Celebrities are interesting but there is a fascination with the rich – particularly billionaires.
One of the most overlooked, but fascinating families is the Sarofim family. This family is full of history, stories, and surprises. Curious to learn more? I’m sure you are.
Let’s get started.
Who Is the Sarofim Family?
The main man people have come to know from the Sarofim family is Fayez Sarofim. He is the son of a wealthy Egyptian landowner, and he is exactly what people think of when they think of billionaires. He’s reserved, private, a real mysterious figure.
Fayez Sarofim comes from wealth, spending his early life as a member of Egypt’s elite. When his father passed away, he inherited a significant fortune.
Although he is fortunate to have been born into a rich family, he possesses the financial knowledge to make a name for himself. He moved to the United States and quickly became a US Citizen.
Sarofim attended the prestigious Harvard Law School. He used the knowledge he attained to begin his mark as a businessman. In 1958, he founded a Houston investment firm named Fayez Sarofim & Company.
Clearly, the work paid off because Fayez is known as one of the most influential men in Egypt.
In his personal life, Fayez Sarofim has been married three different times. His first wife was Louisa Stude, his second was Linda Hicks and he is currently married to Susan Krohn.
With Stude, Fayez had two children: Christopher Sarofim and Allison Sarofim. Christopher Sarofim is the oldest son and seemed to have followed in his father’s footsteps quite well.
He also attended a prestigious school, Princeton University, and received a bachelor’s degree in history. He climbed the financial ladder and ended up working at his father’s company. Now he is part of the Sarofim family office.
Allison Sarofim dabbled more in the entertainment industry. She’s an actress and an established film producer. She is also quite the New York socialite, known for her extravagant parties and outgoing presence.
Other Notable Sarofim Family Members
Christopher Sarofim married Courtney Sarofim who is the daughter of former Houston mayor Bob Lanier. Courtney graduated from one of the best law schools in the country: The University of Houston Law Center.
It seems to me that everything that the Sarofim’s touch, turns to success.
Although her father was a Democrat, Courtney is an active political donor to Republican politicians. Her most recent donation was to Pierce Bush who ran for congress in 2020.
Stepping outside of politics, Courtney is also famous for being a chief investor of fashion for designer Adam Lippes. Although the Sarofim family isn’t known for investing in fashion, Lippe’s quality and design made an impression on them.
Many of the Sarofim family members are scattered throughout different industries. Although they’re mainly known for their financial ventures, it is evident that they have a passion for the arts.
Fayez also had three more children with second wife Linda hicks: Andrew, Phillip, and Maxwell. There is not much information available about these three sons. For the most part, they enjoy living a reserved lifestyle.
Phillip Sarofim is the most recognizable for his brief relationship with Canadian rock singer Avril Lavigne.
The handful of names mentioned is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Sarofim family. The Sarofim family tree has much more winding and twisting branches. Each of them with impressive resumes and unique contributions to the family.
Tabloid-Worthy Marriages
Despite being a private family, the Sarofim’s had their fair share of juicy scandals. Stories right out of a movie, involving divorce and betrayal. With Texas as the backdrop and diamond-encrusted billionaires as the stars, it was difficult to turn away from all the news stories.
Let’s begin with Fayez Sarofim’s early tumultuous love life.
Fayez Sarofim was first married to Louisa Stude. They were living as stereotypical as a billionaire life as they could. They had a beautiful mansion, they donated millions to museums and charities and they collected expensive works of art.
This idealistic lifestyle came to a halt when Linda Hicks came into Fayez Sarofim’s life.
Sarofim met Linda Hicks when she was a clerk in his office. The backdrop for the chaos was River Oaks, known at the time for its multi-millionaire families and all the skeletons in their closets.
Nowadays, River Oaks is a lot more peaceful but it’d be a challenge to forget all the stories that came from there. There are plenty of reports about the scandalous events that would occur.
If there was trouble in Louisa and Fayez’s marriage, it was difficult to tell. They kept things very private, and Fayez spent much of his time tending to his company. Louisa was busy with her personal interests in supporting the arts.
When Fayez met Linda, she had separated from her Air Force husband. She was living in a small apartment with her young son. Then one day she applied for an entry-level job at Fayez Sarofim’s office.
New Woman In Town
Fayez got to know Linda when he put up an ad in the office searching for a babysitter. It didn’t take long before things started to become more intimate and the two were sneaking off to hotel rooms.
This is where the classic rags-to-riches story comes into play. Linda loved this kind of attention. She had the opportunity to make a name for herself. He bought her art, a house to live in, and fancy cars.
Remember, Fayez’s wife Louisa still had no idea about what her husband was up to until Linda became pregnant with her second son, Phillip. The father, of course, was Fayez. In a soap opera twist, Louisa got a hold of the birth announcement and this is what made her skeptical about Fayez’s fidelity.
Louisa must have been the last person to find out because the entirety of Houston seemed to know about the affair at this point. Louisa gave Fayez an ultimatum, she was willing to stay in the marriage if he could convince Linda to move out of Texas.
He clearly loved Linda, so he refused. Doing what any reasonable person would do, Louisa filed for divorce. It ended up being a $250 million settlement which made the already wealthy Louisa even wealthier.
As far as Linda? Well, Fayez didn’t go through all trouble with Louisa for nothing. The two got married in 1990.
Unfortunately, there was a lot of negativity from both friends and family about Linda. They assumed the marriage wouldn’t last and they criticized Linda’s constant drinking.
The drinking soon led to events that were stranger than fiction.
The Curious Case of Linda Hicks
According to several sources, Linda was an eccentric woman. Her heavy drinking would include inebriated shopping trips and misbehaving in social gatherings.
Fayez didn’t seem to mind and continued to spend plenty of money on her. This didn’t make Linda happy. People close to her would say she had all the money but none of the happiness that came from it.
There came a point where Linda’s alcoholism came to a crescendo. She was in Italy with Fayez, got inebriated, and yelled at him to return to Houston. Fayez complied.
Soon after, Linda called her attorneys, Piro and Lilly, and filed for a divorce petition.
The rumour mill continues from there. Linda had a romantic involvement with Lilly; and at one point, went to a hospital because her blood alcohol content was so high.
The behavioural unit is where she met Mason Lowe, who did not have the impressive wealth that any of the members of the Sarofim family tree. Linda found herself interested in him regardless.
Linda, unfortunately, had a knack for attracting trouble. That relationship went down the drain and the idea of divorce loomed once again. However, the surprising twists continue. It’d be remiss to not discuss the one fateful trip to Hawaii.
Trouble in Paradise
Linda and Mason climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and two days after the climb began, Linda has trouble breathing. The breathing problems intensified and the guides brought her back down. She died before reaching the bottom.
Mason left Linda’s body in Africa for an autopsy. Many acquaintances and friends of the Sarofim’s criticized him heavily for this. It’s strange to essentially abandon your loved one, especially after a fatal accident.
The attorney representing her estate declared that Linda likely died from altitude sickness. This is not a conclusive statement though, and there is no official cause for her death.
Many Sarofim family members continue to be suspicious of Linda’s death.
About 100 people attended Linda’s funeral, including a distraught Fayez. Fayez was always a stoic, private man but this is one of the few times he publicly showed emotion.
The time surrounding Linda Hicks was the height of scandal for Fayez Sarofim.
However, that doesn’t mean that there are no other recent news stories about the Sarofim family. Christopher Sarofim also had an unpleasant divorce with ex-wife Valorie Sarofim. There was a lot of talk about child negligence and drug use.
Despite all the stories and trouble, Fayez Sarofim has a positive reputation. He’s known to be particularly generous with his donations to various charities and is heavily involved in the arts.
As far as the rest of the family members, they must have taken notes from Fayez’s past. They continue their private lifestyles, staying out of any big Texas headlines.
Keeping Up With Billionaires
Reality shows make a living by following the luxurious lifestyles of the rich and famous. Chances of reaching billionaire status are low, so it’s no wonder that the average person loves to know about these families.
The Sarofim family may not be as well known as the other billionaires but they’ve got a lot of history. The Sarofim family tree in and of itself is full of variety. Who knows? The next big reality show might be Keeping Up With The Sarofim’s.
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