Mica Ertegun, the esteemed New York interior designer and philanthropist best known to the music biz as the better half of late industry giant Ahmet Ertegun, has died at the age of 97 at her Southampton home on Long Island. Her death was announced by her friend Linda Wachner.

Her passing comes more than a decade after the death of her husband of 45 years, who was a founder of Atlantic Records and helped shape the careers of stars like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin and Led Zeppelin over five decades.

Romanian-born Ioana Maria Banu faced political turmoil in her home country and found refuge in Switzerland and Canada before settling in New York City, where she met and married Ahmet Ertegun in 1961.

Renowned for her exquisite taste, Ertegun, alongside Chessy Rayner, co-founded the interior design firm MAC II in 1967, contributing to projects for the likes of Kenneth Noland, Douglas Cramer, Sanford Weill and Keith Richards. Following Rayner's death in 1998, she continued her design work into her 90s.

Mica Ertegun's philanthropic endeavors reflected the success she and Ahmet achieved in their respective careers. She contributed millions to causes including Jazz at Lincoln Center and the restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Her $41m gift for humanities scholarships at the University of Oxford in 2012 remains the largest of its kind in Oxford's history. Queen Elizabeth II also honored Ertegun by making her an honorary commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2017.