Why did Wallis Annenberg lose custody of her children? Seth Weingarten divorce explored as billionaire Philanthropist dies at 86

Wallis Annenberg, who had previously lost the custody of her four children because of accusations of excessive alcohol use among other allegations levied by her husband, passed away on Monday. According to the Los Angeles Times, the cause of her death was announced in a statement to the outlet, which stated that she had passed away from the complications of lung cancer. The statement read:

"Wallis transitioned peacefully and comfortable this morning to her new adventure. Cancer may have beaten her body but it never got her spirit. We will hold her and her wisdom in our hearts forever."

Wallis Annenberg's name was associated with esteemed foundations to which she has donated throughout her life. She was born on July 15, 1939, to business tycoon Walter Hubert Annenberg and his first wife, Bernice Veronica Dunkelman. She would later become the President of the Annenberg Foundation, a philanthropic organisation founded by her father.

More about Wallis Annenberg's marriage and divorce from Seth Weingarten, as the visionary philanthropist passes away

Wallis Annenberg had a tumultuous divorce from her husband, Dr. Seth Weingarten. According to Vanity Fair, the couple met while a young Wallis Annenberg was on a trip to Europe. They met in Venice, at a time Annenberg had just started her college at Columbia University, where she was planning to study philosophy. On the other hand, Seth Weingarten was about to start medical school at Yale, following his undergraduate studies at Princeton.

The couple started dating and got married a year later in 1960, after which Annenberg left her undergraduate program at Columbia. During their marriage, they welcomed four children. Talking about their early marriage, Annenberg said:

"It was a wonderful experience. The only two happy years in my marriage. We lived in a little $5,000 government house—of course, I made some improvements. I air-conditioned. And everyone built their own fences, but I had Sears Roebuck, which was the only store in town, come out and build the fence for us. After my husband and I left, the commanding officer of the base took over our little house.

The couple were married for fifteen years, after which they divorced in 1975. Three years later, in 1978, Seth Weingarten brought out a number of accusations against Annenberg. According to Vanity Fair, he accused her of allegedly having multiple relationships with other women and also accused her of using drugs and alcohol. These accusations led to Wallis Annenberg losing the custody of her four children. However, according to the outlet, just a year later, Seth Weingarten wanted to return custody rights to her, as he was in another relationship at the time. Talking about the difficult years of her life, Annenberg said:

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“I did it all. If you want to term it a wild phase, fine. I would prefer to say I’m grateful for every one of the life experiences that I had. And I had them.”

Wallis Annenberg, who was eighty-six years old at the time of her death, is survived by her four children and five grandchildren.

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