Long time philanthropist Wallis Annenberg passed away from lung cancer at the age of 86 early Monday morning.  Wallis Annenberg was the daughter of publishing magnate Walter Hubert Annenberg. Following her father's passing in 2002,

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wallis Annenberg, the billionaire philanthropist who supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles, died Monday, her family said. She was 86. Annenberg died at home from complications related to lung cancer, the family said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

The death of billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg at the age of 86 has cast her four children and would-be heirs, Lauren Bon, Gregory Weingarten, Charles Annenberg Weingarten, and Roger Weingarten, as the stewards of her $1.5 billion charitable legacy.

I met Wallis Annenberg nearly 20 years ago. Until then, I had only heard of one other famous woman named Wallis: Wallis Simpson, the strong-willed socialite who became a Duchess after marrying a King.