Dan Rapoport, a businessman of Latvian descent best known for owning Moscow’s swanky nightclub SOHO Rooms, was found dead in Washington DC, according to his wife Alena, who announced on Wednesday.
The businessman rose to fame in the turbulent 1990s in Russia as a co-owner of the legendary nightclub Soho Rooms in Moscow.
He also had ties to Alexei Navalny, a Kremlin critic currently behind bars, and has participated in raising awareness of Vladimir Putin’s alleged wrongdoing.
There has been online discussion of his death and the mystery of the suicide note he left behind.
Obituary for Dan Rapoport: suicide note and mysterious death
An internet rumor is circulating about the “suicide” of a nightclub owner and Putin skeptic who died suddenly in Washington DC “after releasing a dog with a letter and cash.”
Before 6pm on August 14, 52-year-old Dan Rapoport was found outside the 2400 M Apartments.
He is said to have left a puppy with a suicide note.
His body was discovered on the street along with his broken cell phone, $2,620 in cash, a key ring with lanyard, and a smashed white headset.
Former Tatler editor Yuniya Pugacheva initially claimed he let his dog out in a park with money and a suicide note. In addition, DC Metropolitan Police confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that they had no suspicions of criminal activity.
After people found out about his death online, people around the world began paying their respects and sharing obituaries for the noble man.
According to Twitter tributes, what was his true cause of death?
The cause of Rapoport’s death has not yet been determined and an investigation into it is ongoing.
Currently, the death of Dan Rapoport is trending on Twitter while a Golf Digest contributor of the same name, Dan Rapaport, seeks comment on Patrick Reed’s defamation lawsuit against Brandel Chamblee and the Golf Channel.
The businessman had two wives in his family
According to the Daily Mail, Rapoport is said to have had two wives: the first is Irina, the second is Alena.
The exact date of his union with Irina, his first wife, is unknown, but their divorce took place in 2016.
In December of that year, after divorcing his first spouse, he sold their home to the Trumps for $5.5 million and moved to Kyiv, where he founded a new investment firm and got back into politics.
Businessman Rapoport and his first wife Irina lived in Washington, DC from 2012 to 2016. Rapoport was the owner of the legendary club Soho Rooms in Moscow.
He had lived in Kyiv with his second wife, the Ukrainian virologist Alena, and their little daughter until this year. After the February eruption, he sent them to Denmark to transfer them before returning to the United States.
Alena similarly claimed that Rapoport has relocated his family outside the country and is trying to have them relocated while he is still visiting the country.
His wife denies allegations that he committed suicide
Alena, his wife, furiously refuted reports that he had committed suicide, telling a Russian news channel: “There were no notes, no suicide”.
She refuted journalist Yunia Pugacheva’s claim that Rapoport let his dog into a nearby park. After earlier breaking up with Alena and being spotted in London, she left a suicide note and some cash.
Dan Rapoport’s rich wife confirms financier’s death
Alena said an investigation was ongoing but did not name her husband’s death or other causes of death.
Since he had plans, we had arranged to meet. Dan got us out of Kyiv and then returned to serve his country. We should meet again in the US.
Before his death was a millionaire from Latvia
Dan’s estimated net worth before his death was in the millions. However, his assets and appraisals are still under scrutiny.
Born in Riga, Latvia when the country was still part of the Soviet Union, Rapoport worked at a number of Russian financial institutions in the late 1990s and early 2000s before opening the legendary Soho Rooms in Moscow in 2007.
Rapoport is suspected of supporting Alexei Navalny, a Kremlin opponent who is currently in prison after opposition in Russia rose to prominence following Putin’s return to the country’s presidency in 2012.