Orange-tinted billionaire Stewart Rahr donated a whopping $2 million to charity in less than an hour after hijacking the live auction at Alicia Keys’ Black Ball.
Eccentric pharmaceutical mogul Rahr, who calls himself “Stewie Rah Rah, the king of all fun” and is notable for his perma-tan and yellow Ray Bans, was in a generous mood Thursday night at Keys’ gala, which was raising funds for her charity Keep a Child Alive.
We’re told by a source, “Stewart went wild during the live auction and bid on every lot except one. There was a trip to Milan which started with a reserve price of $8,000. Stewart put his hand straight up and said, ‘I’ll bid $100,000.’” Nobody even bothered bidding against him.
“When the next lot came up, with a reserve of a few thousand, his hand went straight up and he pledged $150,000. He was out of control. He donated so much money that Alicia got him onstage. He was up there for five minutes telling everyone about his rags-to-riches story.”
Generous Rahr’s act of raining money shocked a starry crowd that included CC Sabathia, Robinson Cano, Swizz Beatz, Gayle King, Clive Davis, Nikki Haskell, Diane von Furstenberg and La La Anthony. Our source added, “Rahr sat himself down at Alicia’s table and was regaling Tommy Hilfiger with stories.” He ended up matching the entire $2 million raised on the night, to boost the total take to $4 million.
Rahr, son of a Brooklyn pharmacist, sold his pharmaceutical company Kinray in 2010 for $1.3 billion. Last year his wife of 43 years, Carol, filed for divorce. Sources close to the mogul said she received a $250 million settlement. But other sources say it could be as high as $600 million.
Back in June, Page Six reported Rahr sent out a sex tape of himself with three women to many of his powerful New York contacts.
Keys earlier brought her son, Egypt, 3, onto the Hammerstein Ballroom black carpet, telling reporters, “He’s amazing. He swims by himself already. He does everything like he’s so independent. He’s extremely smart . . . He plays piano, he plays drums. He has rhythm. He’s kind of impressive.” Asked if he’ll eventually get a sister or brother, she replied, “Yeah, but not right now.”