Howard Gittis, C’55, L’58, the consummate Philadelphia lawyer and powerbroker who went on to become the top adviser to billionaire financier Ron Perelman, died in September at the age of 73.

The former chairman of Wolf Block made his name in Philadelphia as an influential attorney who represented Mayor Frank Rizzo during a recall campaign, and was a major campaign contributor and adviser to Mayor William J. Green 3rd.

He moved to New York in the mid-1980s to join Perelman’s company, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., where he was chief administrative officer. Gittis served on the boards of several MacAndrews’ companies, including Revlon, Panavision, and Scientific Games.