Heiress's very humble new life on Long Island after she was DISOWNED by $8bn 'Queen of Mean' grandma Leona Helmsley who owned Empire State Building and left $12m to her dog

By NATASHA ANDERSON IN MERRICK, NEW YORK Published: 17:12, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 17:27, 17 July 2026 You don't find many heiresses residing down this end of Long Island. Indeed, if it hadn't been for her billionaire grandmother's notoriously mercurial temper, Meegan Wesolko would likely be summering in the Hamptons, rather than living full-time in the more humble hamlet of Merrick.  Meegan, 55, is the only direct female descendant of Leona Helmsley, the late billionairess hotelier nicknamed the 'Queen of Mean' because of her gold-plated lifestyle and foul temper. When Leona died in 2007 aged 87, she left $10 million to be split equally between Meegan's two brothers David and Walter, but disinherited her granddaughter and other grandson Craig. Leona said she was snubbing Meegan and Craig 'for reasons which are known to them,' then sparked further outrage by leaving $12 million to her Maltese dog Trouble. She bought the pet to help her cope with the death of her beloved husband Harry in 1997.  The rest of Leona's $8 billion fortune went into a trust, which she stipulated should be directed towards the welfare of dogs.   Meegan Wesolko is the only direct female descendant of Leona Helmsley, the late billionairess hotelier nicknamed 'the Queen of Mean'. The 55-year-old appears to enjoy a simple life in Long Island, with the heiress having a mobile hair colorist came to her home Down-to-earth Meegan stepped outside midway through a dyeing procedure, a move her always done-up late grandmother would have definitely disapproved of Meegan and Craig later sued, with a judge awarding Meegan $2 million and Craig $4 million in 2008.  The heiress appeared to have long-since shrugged off the fiasco on Wednesday, when photographed outside the Merrick condo that she is currently renting while her nearby home is refurbished.  A mobile hair colorist came to her home, with down-to-earth Meegan stepping outside midway through a dyeing procedure. Her hair looked glossy and sleek once the makeover had been completed.  Meegan's resemblance to her late grandmother was clear to see, with the two women sharing the same strong features and mischievous dark eyes.  But Meegan appears to be much less vain than Leona, whose swathe of properties also included the Empire State Building. Leona Helmsley is pictured in 1989. She built a multi-billion dollar fortune thanks to her luxury hotels and real estate holdings, which included the Empire State Building  Meegan lives in a modest rented condo with her dog and two daughters, Victoria, 25, and Kaitlin, who just finished her first year at university Her grandmother had a vast property empire that included this Jacobean manor house called Dunnellen Hall in Connecticut Leona had an enormous designer wardrobe, exquisite jewels and underwent multiple cosmetic surgery procedures that distorted her facial features as she aged.  She felt uncomfortable hiring her only child Jay Panzirer to work for her while he was in his late 20s, because his presence made it harder for the then 60-something to pretend she was still only 40. Jay, who Leona had with her first husband Leo Panzirer, and who was Meegan's father, died of a heart attack in 1981 aged just 42.  Leona promptly evicted Jay's widow and her four children - including Meegan - from a Helmsley-owned apartment.  She did so despite owning a vast property empire comprising a Park Avenue penthouse, Jacobean manor house called Dunnellen Hall in Connecticut, as well as properties in Arizona and Florida that Leona commuted to via her own private jet.  Meegan's residence is nowhere near as opulent, but far from shabby.  Meegan's life in the quiet hamlet of Merrick, Long Island would surely disgust her wealthy grandmother, known for her opulent lifestyle featuring a designer wardrobe an exquisite jewels Unlike Leona, whose battalions of minions would have handled unexpected visitors, Meegan answered the door to a reporter personally with a smile and her dog in tow Meegan was unhappy about being approached with questions about her late grandmother and refused to comment on her   Leona sported her iconic scarlet lipstick and a smile as she posed for her mugshot after being arrested for tax evasion. During her trial, former staff and contractors shared stories about her alleged cruelty, including how took special pleasure in not paying crews for their work Leona, who infamously quipped 'only the little people pay taxes,' fainted outside of court after she was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion trial in 1989 Leona Helmsley is pictured with her husband Harry at a New York City gala in 1987 These days, she lives in a four bedroom, four bathroom home in Merrick that she bought for $500,000 in 2003, four years before her grandmother's death. The house, now worth $995,000, is undergoing substantial renovation works.  Meegan and her two adult daughters are staying in a rental around a 20 minute drive away while they wait for their refreshed home to be completed.  It is unclear if Meegan is in a relationship. She married a man named Thomas Wesolko but currently goes by her maiden name of Panzirer on Facebook. Unlike Leona, whose battalions of minions would have handled unexpected visitors, Meegan answered the door to a reporter personally with a smile and her dog in tow.  'So sorry!' she said, as her playful pup jumped up on our reporter to say hello. After calming the dog, Meegan asked cheerfully: 'How can I help you?'  But the moment we asked about Leona, her face immediately dropped and the tone in her voice became cold. When Leona died in 2007 aged 87, she left $10 million apiece to Meegan's two brothers David and Walter, but disinherited her granddaughter and other grandson Craig. Leona further snubbed her descendents by leaving $12 million to her Maltese dog Trouble The self-styled 'queen' of the Helmsley Hotels became a household name after marrying real estate magnate Harry Helmsley in 1972. But behind closed doors she was cruel to her staff, with those at the Helmsley Palace Hotel putting a system in place to warn of her arrival 'No. You need to leave,' she said, ushering the dog into the house. 'Don't come back here,' she added, before closing the door and denying a Daily Mail reporter the chance to ask about the real reason why Leona disinherited her.  One rumor suggests Leona was angry that Meegan and Craig failed to name any of their children after her late husband Harry, according to Slate.  Another claimed Leona was upset neither made sufficient visits to their late father Jay Panzirer's grave, the New York Post reported. Neither allegation has ever been verified.  It's unclear what, if anything, Meegan does for work - but she appears to live a deeply contented, relatively-simple life. Her Facebook profile shows her enjoying cocktails with friends and vacations with family.  Meegan is clearly a devoted mother and has proudly shared snaps of herself smiling next to her two daughters. Meegan owns a a four bedroom, four bathroom home in Merrick worth $995,000. She seems to be living in the condo 20 minutes away while the property undergoes substantial renovations Like her late grandmother, she is an avowed dog lover, her social media profiles filled with photos of a gorgeous Bernese mountain dog clearly doted on by Meegan. That seems to be one of the very few things Meegan has in common with Leona, who once infamously remarked: 'We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.' The line emerged during a federal tax evasion trial in 1989 which saw Leona convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.   Thankfully, Meegan appears to have inherited none of her grandmother's greed or obsession with status - and she seems all the happier for it.  Leona Helmsley was born Leona Mindy Rosenthal in 1920 to working class Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, but soon began ferociously social-climbing her way to far more illustrious surroundings. She was already a successful realtor by the time she met developer Harry Helmsley in 1968. Their affair and subsequent marriage four years later catapulted her to the highest echelons of New York society.  Harry asked Leona to run his hotel empire - and her exacting standards become so well-known that Leona herself later starred in adverts for Helmsley Hotels.  Near-mythical tales of her outrageous behavior made her one of the world's most famous - and infamous - women. 'Mama's on her way! Mama's coming!' panicked security guards would shout as her limousine approached her flagship Helmsley Palace Hotel on the Upper East Side.  The nickname was one Leona used herself. She would cry 'Feed mama!' to a chef whose job it was to give her a single shrimp each time she completed a lap of one of her many swimming pools.    If that interaction suggests a degree of affection from Leona towards her staff - multiple disturbing tales of her treatment of subordinates show that she was anything but. She screamed at a line of cowering staff after spotting droplets of water on a lettuce leaf in a side salad at her flagship Helmsley Palace Hotel in Manhattan.  Leona once flew into a violent rage and smashed a teacup when a hotel waiter accidentally spilled a tiny drop of water on the saucer. 'Now clean it up and beg for your job,' she roared.  Leona issued racist and anti-gay quips as she paraded through her estates, a former employee claimed.  He alleged she called actor Tom Cruise a 'f**' and claimed that her real estate rival Donald Trump only had 'so many women around him is because he's gay.' The staffer alleged that Leona would ask job applicants 'are you gay?' and even nicknamed her two male Christmas decorators as 'frick and frack, her little girls.' Leona denied the claims and said she lit the Empire State Building - which she then owned - in lavender once a year because she was an avowed supporter of gay rights.   She took special pleasure in cheating the little guy - like Eugene Brennan, the contractor who installed her $13,000 custom-made barbecue pit at Dunnellen Hall.  When Leona's aide pleaded with her to honor the bill, citing that Brennan had six children to support, she replied: 'Why didn't he keep his pants on? He wouldn't have so many problems.' She also fired the engineer who installed her outdoor stereo designed to resemble one she'd saw during a visit to Walt Disney World. Leona wanted the sound system to serenade her as she walked through her elegant gazebo. But she was enraged to discover that its speakers were not sufficiently camouflaged for her liking and refused to pay for it as a result.  After evicting her only son Jay Panzirer's widow from their apartment after his death, Leona also sued his estate for the repayment of a $150,000 loan and the cost of flying Jay's coffin from Florida, where he died, back to NYC. While stingy with staff, Leona spent lavishly on herself. She blew $1 million on a marble dancefloor above a swimming pool and $500,000 on jade 'objects d'art'.  The tight-fisted tycoon also made diamond retailer Van Cleef & Arpels mail her purchases to her so she could avoid sales taxes.  Leona kept a hawk-eye on receipts and once demanded a jewelry sales clerk alter a receipt for a pair of earrings so she would avoid paying just $4 in sales tax.