Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire mogul and power broker who built a casino empire spanning from Las Vegas to China and became a singular force in domestic and international politics, has died after a long illness, his wife said Tuesday.

Miriam Adelson and the Las Vegas Sands Corp. both released statements confirming Adelson's death. He was 87 years old.

"It is with unbearable pain that I announce the death of my husband, Sheldon G. Adelson, of complications from a long illness," his wife said. "Sheldon was the love of my life. He was my partner in romance, philanthropy, political activism and enterprise. He was my soulmate."

He was the son of Jewish immigrants, raised with two siblings in a Boston tenement, who over the second half of his life became one of the world’s richest men.

The chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation brought singing gondoliers to the Las Vegas Strip and foresaw correctly that Asia would be an even bigger market.

In 2018, Forbes ranked him No. 15 in the U.S., worth an estimated $35.5 billion.

“If you do things differently, success will follow you like a shadow,” he said during a 2014 talk to the gambling industry in Las Vegas.

Blunt yet secretive, the squatly built Adelson resembled an old-fashioned political boss and stood apart from most American Jews, who for decades have supported Democrats by wide margins. Adelson was considered the nation’s most influential GOP donor over the final years of his life, at times setting records for individual contributions during a given election cycle.

Former President George W. Bush released a statement saying he and his wife, Laura, are mourning Adelson's death.

"Sheldon battled his way out of a tough Boston neighborhood to build a successful enterprise that loyally employed tens of thousands -- and entertained millions," Bush said. "He was an American patriot, a generous benefactor of charitable causes, and a strong supporter of Israel."

In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) mourned the loss of his "friend" and said that America "lost a remarkable American." 

"Sheldon built an incredible life and career. He climbed from sleeping on tenement floors during the Great Depression as a young boy to literally towering over Las Vegas and beyond," McConnell said. "He created countless jobs in the process. And he poured his success into philanthropy — from drug abuse treatment to research into cancer and other diseases to the countless Jewish causes around the world that were especially close to his heart."

“Elaine and I send our condolences to Miriam, the entire Adelson family, and all who mourn today," McConnell concluded. "May his memory be a great blessing.”