Heart Attack Kills Malcolm Forbes at 70

Malcolm Forbes, publisher of the business magazine that bears his name and one of the country’s most colorful and outspoken millionaires, died of a heart attack in his sleep Saturday at his home, a spokesman for the magazine said. He was 70.

Forbes was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. EDT at Timberfield, his home in Far Hills, N.J., said the spokesman, William Donald Garson, director of corporate communications for Forbes Inc.

Forbes had returned Saturday morning from a trip to London, Garson said.

He died of natural causes, said Michael Schalet, the Somerset County medical examiner.

The flamboyant magazine publisher, often seen with actress Elizabeth Taylor at his side, was known for his hot-air balloons, Harley Davidson motorcycles and extravagant parties. Forbes spent a reported $2 million on his 70th birthday party last year.

He was proclaimed an honorary citizen of Tangier, Morocco, as that bash--which included feast, seaside fireworks and nightlong dancing--drew to a close Aug. 21.

The nearly 1,000 guests featured some of the top names in business, industry, entertainment and the arts: billionaire Donald Trump, Fiat Chairman Giovanni Agnelli, opera singer Beverly Sills, television personalities Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters, Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, publishers Katharine Graham, Rupert Murdoch and Robert Maxwell, former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, and former Kings Constantine of Greece and Simeon of Bulgaria.

They were feasted in Moroccan-style tents to pigeon pie, lamb mechoui and chicken tadjine.

Forbes’ worth was estimated by various sources at $400 million to $1 billion.

He appeared in the celebrity columns of newspapers as often as on the business pages, frequently in connection with a motorcycle ride or balloon flight.

Taylor had been his frequent companion since his 39-year marriage ended in divorce in 1985.