Philanthropist and visionary Wallis Annenberg, who changed the landscape of Los Angeles through her generosity and passion, has died from complications of lung cancer. She was 86.
Annenberg was dedicated to expanding access to arts and education and was devoted to animal and environmental rights. Her many contributions to L.A. include the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills (“The Wallis”), the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica and the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
Through the Annenberg Foundation, she contributed more than $75 million to The Wallis.
“Wallis Annenberg was a force for good whose generosity and vision helped shape our city and beyond,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian in a statement. “Her commitment to the arts brought us The Wallis, a vibrant cultural landmark that has become a cornerstone of our community … Her legacy lives on in the countless lives and communities she touched.”
“It is with a profound sense of loss that we express our condolences on the passing of Wallis Annenberg,” said Robert van Leer, The Wallis’ executive director and CEO in a statement. “Wallis believed wholeheartedly in the capacity of the arts to unite people from all walks of life and believed that those connections could bring about meaningful change. In honoring her memory, we commit to continuing her work by championing diverse voices and nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences.”
In 2026, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills will become the world’s largest wildlife crossing, spanning 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway. Annenberg and her family’s Annenberg Foundation donated $26 million to the National Wildlife Federation to support the project’s construction.
The crossing will allow animals such as mountain lions to pass over the freeway safely. In recent years, a number of animals have been killed attempting to traverse the busy thoroughfare from the adjacent Santa Monica Mountains.
“Wallis Annenberg’s vision for wildlife conservation inspired millions of people across California and around the world,” said Collin O’Mara, the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation in a statement. “Her generosity and the work of the Annenberg Foundation is helping build the world’s largest wildlife crossing, reigniting interest in what she called ‘environmental rejuvenation,’ and showing how people and wildlife can thrive together.”
Wallis Annenberg was born in Philadelphia in 1939, then moved to Washington, D.C., at age 10 following her parents’ divorce. She married neurosurgeon Seth Weingarten after attending Pine Manor College and, briefly, Columbia University. The couple divorced in 1975 after moving together to L.A. with their children.
Annenberg’s father, Walter H. Annenberg, built a media empire, publishing such titles as TV Guide and Seventeen magazine. He sold the company to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in 1988 and went on to establish the Annenberg Foundation.
Wallis Annenberg served on the foundation’s board and as its vice president beginning in 2002 following the death of her father. She became chairwoman and president of the foundation in 2009 after the death of her stepmother, Leonore Annenberg.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that Wallis Annenberg “deeply believed in supporting the American right to the pursuit of happiness.”
“She was always determined to find new ways to help people achieve a better, more joyful quality of life, and above all else, to help people connect with each other,” he said. “Wallis believed in community—in supporting innovators who could create and scale environments that helped all in it … California is better for all that she did, and for her enormous heart and unbelievable generosity.”
In addition to her work in the arts, education and the environment, Annenberg created Wallis Annenberg PetSpace in Playa Vista, which opened in 2017 and provides animal adoption and veterinary services as well as education. She also founded Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, a low-cost, high-quality community space for active older adults that opened in 2022.
Annenberg donated millions to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and in 2022, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by the White House.
“Los Angeles has lost one of its most generous, curious and determined civic leaders, and we join our city in remembering Wallis Annenberg for her philanthropic spirit and tenacious commitment to improving lives,” said Edythe Broad, co-founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in a statement. “May her memory be a blessing.”
Annenberg was known for changing and evolving, and for holding herself to the highest possible standards. Speaking to the Courier in 2019, she said that she was constantly working on being the best version of herself.
“To paraphrase FDR, my biggest fear is not conquering my fears,” she said. “I see life as a journey toward being completely comfortable with who you are, and what you do. A journey toward oneself, really. And if you can truly be yourself, then what is there to fear?”
Annenberg is survived by four children and five grandchildren.
