Howard J. Rubenstein, Public Relations Impresario, Dies at 88
He polished the tarnished images of the rich, the famous and the flawed, with clients that included Donald J. Trump, Rupert Murdoch and George M. Steinbrenner.
Howard J. Rubenstein in his office in 2004. When crises struck celebrities, politicians, corporations or cultural institutions, he was a fixer of choice.Credit.Vincent Laforet/The New York Times
Dec. 29, 2020
Howard J. Rubenstein, who softened life’s blows and polished the tarnished images of the rich, the famous and the flawed for more than 65 years in becoming New York’s pre-eminent public relations impresario, died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 88.
Howard Rubenstein, PR s dean of damage control, dies at 88
Patrick Oster, Bloomberg
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His death was announced by his son Steven, the president of Rubenstein Associates Inc.
Once called New York s No. 1 public relations man by the New York Times, Rubenstein used his personal connections among politicians, real estate moguls, media owners and entertainment stars to promote the best interests of his clients. In 1999, when his firm celebrated its 45th anniversary, it had about 500 accounts that generated $30 million a year, according to a Times story at the time.
His client list for decades was populated mostly by famous people who had paid him to make them look good. They included personalities such as Donald Trump, who once fired Rubenstein over his handling of news coverage of Trump s messy divorce from his first wife, Ivana before later hiring him back. He also represented George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees.