kirk kerkorian the billionaire investor who helped build the las vegas strip has died , the son of poor armenian immigrants kerkorian dropped out of high school and spent time an amateur boxing circuit before making the jump to business , first made his fortune in vegas in the nineteen fifties and sixties , founding m. g. m. resorts and at one point owning more than half the hotel rooms in the gambling mecca , he also established himself as a hollywood mogul buying united artist studio and launching a bid for columbia pictures kerkorian's private investment firm just into made high profile forays into the auto industry as well , twice trying to buy chrysler and taking big ownership stake in general motors and ford koreans investments took a hit since the financial crisis , his empire was worth about sixteen billion dollars in two thousand eight but in may forbes estimated his wealth at four point two billion dollars , kerkorian was ninety eight years old