Viacom and CBS Chairman Emeritus Sumner Redstone, the media mogul who took his father’s movie theater chain and built it into an empire that included Paramount Pictures, CBS and MTV, has died at 97, ViacomCBS and National Amusements said on Wednesday.
Redstone, who was formerly executive chairman of CBS and Viacom, died on Tuesday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sumner M. Redstone, the self-made businessman, philanthropist and World War II veteran who built one of the largest collections of media assets in the world,” National Amusements said in a statement.
Through his company, Redstone controlled 80 percent of the voting stock of Viacom and CBS. His net worth was estimated at $3 billion in May.
