Susan T. Buffett, 72; Billionaire Investor’s Wife

Susan T. Buffett, the wife of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, died of a stroke Thursday, his company said. She was 72.

Warren Buffett, 73-year-old chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., was with his wife when she died in Cody, Wyo., where they were visiting friends, the company said. She had been admitted to West Park Hospital in Cody on Wednesday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Susan Buffett, a Berkshire director, was listed this year by Forbes magazine as the 60th richest American, with a personal net worth of $3.1 billion.

Although the Buffetts had lived separately for many years, she stood to inherit her husband’s fortune. Warren Buffett, second only to Bill Gates on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest people in the world, has said his Berkshire stock, valued at about $42.9 billion, would go to his wife upon his death and then to a foundation.

She had been treated last fall for mouth cancer, and doctors said she was doing well after surgery and radiation therapy. It was announced last week that the couple had donated $6 million to five California medical specialists who coordinated her treatment.

Warren Buffett and his wife, a former cabaret singer, married in 1952. After they separated, she spent much of her time in San Francisco, but they often traveled and spent time together.

The Buffetts had three children: Susie, 50, of Omaha; Howard, 49, who lives near Decatur, Ill., and is on Berkshire’s board; and Peter, 46, a musician in Milwaukee.

Warren Buffett took $100 from his own pocket in 1956 and turned it into a multibillion-dollar company. He built his empire on a simple business philosophy of investing in brand-name companies that he understands, including Dairy Queen and Coca-Cola Co.