Leah Newman, Daughter of WME Agent Robert Newman, Dies at 33

The former Harpo Entertainment executive died after giving birth, with her surviving daughter, Beatrice Violet, to be raised by her parents.

BY ETAN VLESSING

Leah Stephanie Newman, daughter of WME motion picture agent Robert Newman and a former Hollywood TV exec, has died. She was 33.

On Nov. 22, Newman gave birth to a daughter, Beatrice Violet. Two days later, she died unexpectedly from unknown postpartum complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Her daughter will be raised by Newman’s parents, Cindy and Robert Newman.

“To know Leah was to love her. She was an extraordinarily loving, generous and kind person; her big heart overflowed with compassion for humanity. Leah loved to sew, cook, travel and spend time with her family and friends. Leah’s greatest dream was to become a mother,” a statement from Robert Newman and his family said Tuesday.

Leah Newman was born on July 14, 1988, in south Florida and was raised in Beverly Hills. She worked for years in the entertainment industry, most recently at Harpo Entertainment, then changed careers to become a speech-language pathologist working at Cedars-Sinai and Southern California Medical Center.

“We are most grateful for the many dear friends who have reached out to our family with gestures of support during this most painful time and for the amazing friends who have been such guiding lights in Leah’s life,” the Newman family added.

A memorial service is planned for Dec. 2. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made either to The March of Dimes or a trust fund to be established in Beatrice Violet’s name.