Princess Shams Pahlavi; Red Cross Leader, Shah’s Sister

Princess Shams Pahlavi, 77, an international Red Cross leader and sister of the late deposed Shah of Iran. Before the Iranian revolution, Pahlavi worked for more than 30 years to build the Red Lion and Sun Society, Iran’s Red Cross, into that country’s largest charitable organization. Under her leadership, the group supported hundreds of hospitals and orphanages, youth activities and disaster relief efforts. She was also honorary president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Hospital for Protection of Disadvantaged Children in Iran and a major donor to both. A native of Tehran, she and her husband of 50 years, Mehrdad Pahlbod, and their three children had lived in Southern California since 1984. On Thursday in Santa Barbara.