Fashion Entrepreneur Matthew Mellon Dies at 53

LONDON — Matthew Mellon, the heir to banking and oil fortunes, has died aged 53 at a drug rehabilitation center in Mexico. He reportedly battled an addiction to Oxycontin.

An entrepreneur, a private equity investor and Harrys of London founder, Mellon has been linked to a number of fashion designers such as Tamara Mellon, his first wife, who cofounded Jimmy Choo. Noelle Reno, his former fiancée, aided Mellon with the launch of cashmere label Degrees of Freedom. Mellon married Nicole Hanley and together they started a line called Hanley-Mellon. They divorced in 2015.

Adam Drawas, a consultant who helped produce the collection at the time, said: “Matthew has a 100 percent input on the design. He knows color and he has a great eye. Matthew’s background is luxury.”

Born in New York, Mellon was raised in Florida and Maine. He is survived by Tamara Mellon and their daughter, Araminta, and Hanley, his second wife, and their two children Force and Olympia.

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