Jacqueline Desmarais

Jacqueline Desmarais, (September 20, 1928 – March 3, 2018) was a Canadian billionaire, and long-term supporter of music and opera.

Early life She was born Jacqueline Maranger in Sudbury, Ontario, to Ernest Marenger and Albertine Thanase, on September 20, 1928.

Career According to Forbes, Desmarais had a net worth of $4.2 billion in January 2015.

She was a long-term supporter of music and opera in Canada, and head of the guild of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1989 to 1999. In 1997, she created a foundation in her name to support young opera singers. In 2011, she received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal's faculty of music. In 2012, she was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec. In 2013, Desmarais was named an officer of the Order of Canada.

Jacqueline Desmarais lived on a 75-acre estate at Domaine Laforest à Sagard, Charlevoix, Quebec, until her death in 2018.

Death Jacqueline Desmarais died on March 3, 2018, aged 89.