Ron Burkle: "Billionaire Party Boy"

Some people really do have it all: the fame, the fortune, the success, and all of the scandal and personal issues that come with being wealthy. Ron Burkle is one of those people. A shrewd business man, Ron Burkle is also a political insider who ex-president, Bill Clinton, considers a close friend. Quoting from Bill Clinton's memoir My Life, "[Ron Burkle is]...one of my best friends and strongest supporters." Ron Burkle also seems to be a man of style and taste who is often found with young actresses and models such as Gisele Bundchen, and he is also heavily invested in P. Diddy's clothing line.

Ron Burkle is a self-made billionaire who had humble beginnings as a bag boy at his father's store. Working his way up to senior executive, Ron Burkle tried to lead a buyout of the chain of stores. Although Ron Burkle failed at the attempted buyout, the group of investors who supported the action was impressed. Ron Burkle later dropped out of college to found the Yucaipa Companies to invest in retail, manufacturing, and distribution. More about the attempted buyout can be found at Sfgate.com or just click here.

Burkle has since gone on to be Chairman and controlling stockholder of several companies including: Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Dominic's, Golden State Foods, Alliance Entertainment, and Food4Less. Recently, Ron Burkle has been a member of the board for the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, KB Home, and Yahoo! Ron also owns part of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A more complete listing of endeavors that Ron has undertaken can be found at Wikipedia.org or just click here.

As with many wealthy lifestyles, Ron has had his share of scandal and personal problems. As his wife, Janet Burkle accused him domestic abuse. From there the legal issues quickly escalated with Ron Burkle accusing his wife of infidelity and the endangerment of one of their daughters. Janet also accused her husband of hiding monetary assets in a settlement. Part of the scandal surrounding the divorce includes the unusual court-ordered sealing of the documents and money given to California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote new divorce legislation. The divorce case can be read about at Observer.com or just click here.

Burkle and his Yucaipa Companies have also been caught up in a con involving Catholic Church properties that were supposedly available for sale through recently-uncovered con-man Raffaello Follieri. More can be found at Online.wsj.com, or just click here.

Ron has also been criticized for his friendship and generosity towards ex-president Bill Clinton.

And, in spite of a scandal involving a gossip writer who potentially attempted to blackmail Ron Burkle, he is still living above it all, with the help of his customized Boeing 757.