David Murdock, Dole CEO Who Opened Longevity Center, Dies at 102

David Murdock, a high school dropout who became a billionaire as proprietor of one of the biggest private corporate empires in the US, has died. He was 102.

He died on June 9, according to William Goldfield, a spokesman for Dole Food Co., which Murdock led from 1985 to 2021.

David Murdock in 2006

Photographer: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg News.

In a career of buying and selling companies, Murdock ran real estate giant Castle & Cooke Inc. and was the longtime owner of Dole, one of the world’s largest producers of bananas and pineapples. He was the largest individual holder of Dole shares, with a 12.5% stake. ...