Max LeRoy, grandson of Mervyn LeRoy ("Wizard of Oz")
deb...@comcast.net
restaurateur Warner LeRoy, was killed on Thursday afternoon when he
crashed a motorcycle on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Police said he
veered off the roadway and slammed into a driveway wall shortly before
1 p.m.
Some friends and family members who knew Max well initially assumed
that he was drunk or high at the time of the accident, but L.A. police
said there was no indication LeRoy was driving under the influence.
"He had just got a new Ducati motorbike and it seems like he lost
control," said Max's sister, Bridget LeRoy. "There will be a service
next weekend in New York." On hearing of Max's death, Bridget sent an
e-mail to her friends asking that they hold her "strange and estranged
family" in their thoughts.
A spokeswoman for the LeRoy clan told PAGE SIX's Tom Sykes, "There are
strong family dynamics in the LeRoy family, but they are in no way
estranged." She added, "Max's family is mourning the untimely death of
a beloved son and brother."
Bridget, speaking from the hotel she owns in New Hampshire, clarified
that the e-mail in which she described her family as "strange and
estranged" was a personal note to her friends, written when she had
just heard the news of her brother's death, and not intended for
widespread circulation. She said that she, Max, and sisters Carolyn and
Jennifer had all spoken to each other last week via conference call.
The tragic motorcycle crash added one more dramatic twist to the LeRoy
family saga, which began with movie producer Mervyn LeRoy, whose
credits include "The Wizard of Oz."
Mervyn's son Warner - who was known for his huge collection of loud,
custom-made jackets and equally ebullient personality - created
Maxwell's Plum, the legendary Upper East Side restaurant and singles
bar that was a sensation in the 1970s. He went on to create Tavern on
the Green - which Jennifer still runs - and later bought the
Russian Tea Room, which closed in 2002, one year after Warner's death.
Max lived the life of a privileged New York society kid. He grew up
across the hall from Sean Lennon in the Dakota, and the two were firm
friends until LeRoy had an affair with Lennon's girlfriend, Bijou
Phillips.