Who was Maurice Tempelsman? Diamond merchant and Jackie Kennedy's last companion dead at 95

Maurice Tempelsman, the renowned diamond merchant and final partner of former US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, has died at the age of 95.

His son Leon confirmed to the New York Times that he died at a hospital in Manhattan, New York, on Saturday, August 23, citing complications from a fall. People Magazine has reported that the Belgium-born, known for befriending African dictators, was born on August 26, 1929.

Maurice Tempelsman's Orthodox Jewish family fled the region in 1940 due to the N*zi invasion, relocating to New York City instead. Tempelsman studied at New York University, though he dropped out after two years and started working at his dad's business, Leon Tempelsman & Son, a diamond merchant company. Scroll down to know all about his life.

Everything we know about Maurice Tempelsman's romance with Jackie O:

The Washington Post has reported that, after he joined his father's company, Tempelsman would go on to become the largest baron in the U.S. diamond market. He acquired a company, Lazare Kaplan International, in 1984, and it held stakes in nearly every diamond mine and operation, both in Africa and around the world. He also invested in African copper and cobalt mines, the outlet states.

Although he largely stayed out of the public eye, Tempelsman was thrust into the spotlight when he struck up a romance with Jackie O, as the tabloids dubbed her. They were often seen around Manhattan together, having been together from the early 1980s until she died in 1994.

The New York Times has reported that Tempelsman became her financial advisor after her second husband, a Greek shipping baron named Aristotle Onassis, died. She inherited $26 million from Onassis, and Maurice Tempelsman and another lawyer named Alexander Forger served as the co-executors of her will.

Harper's Bazaar has also reported that, when her demise was announced in May 1994, there were three names on the official statement confirming the same: Her children, Caroline and John F. Kennedy, and Maurice Tempelsman. At her funeral, he stood by her kids' side and read out a poem, Ithaka by C.P. Cavafy. Per the outlet, he also added his own line:

"And now the journey is over, too short, alas, too short. It was filled with adventure and wisdom, laughter and love, gallantry and grace. So farewell, farewell."

In his own personal life, Maurice Tempelsman was married to Lilly Burkos until she died in 2022. However, they were reportedly estranged. They shared three kids, Leon, Marcy, and Rena, and he now leaves behind six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

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