New York City - Bruce Wasserstein, chief executive of investment bank Lazard Ltd., died on October 14, two days after being hospitalized for cardiac problems. He was 61-years-old. Wasserstein was the Chairman and CEO of Lazard Ltd., the 120-year-old investment firm he led.

Wasserstein was born on December 25, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY to parents Morris Wasserstein and his wife Lola Schleifer. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School, and was the Chairman and CEO of Lazard. Wasserstein owns a home on Further Lane in East Hampton. One of Wasserstein sisters was the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein ("The Heidi Chronicles").

In a statement released by the company the Board of Directors have named Vice Chairman Steven Golub as interim chief executive officer.
Wasserstein was one of the pre-eminent investment bankers on Wall Street for some 30 years. He made his reputation at Credit Suisse First Boston in the 1980s, then struck out on his own to start Wasserstein Perella, which he later sold to Germany's Dresdner Bank for a huge sum.

He joined Lazard in 2002 at the invitation of former chief partner Michael David-Weill and in short order outmaneuvered the family that had controlled the firm for 150 years. In 2005, he took public what had been Wall Street's longest surviving partnership.

Among Wasserstein's holdings and interests are New York magazine, business media giant Penton Media, Inc. and The Deal. New York Media Holdings, the parent company of New York magazine, is owned privately by a Wasserstein family trust.

Wasserstein's ex-wife, Christine Parrott, is currently married to Dan Rattiner, of Dan's Papers.