Obituary: Rachel Mellon, Heiress and Arts Patron

Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, an heiress to the Listerine mouthwash fortune who with her late husband Paul Mellon donated more than 1,000 works to the National Gallery of Art, died Monday at the age of 103 at her estate in Virginia, The Washington Post writes.

The Mellons also funded the construction of the museum’s East Building, designed by I.M. Pei, in the 1970s. A horticulturist and a confidante of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ms. Mellon redesigned the White House Rose Garden at President John F. Kennedy’s request in the early 1960s.

Though prominent in Washington social and cultural circles, Ms. Mellon was described by friends as shy and averse to publicity. She was surprisingly thrust into the political spotlight at age 101 when it was revealed she had largely bankrolled former Democratic Sen. John Edwards’ fund to support his mistress and conceal her from voters during his 2008 presidential campaign.