A. Alfred Taubman | Mall developer, 91

Shopping mall developer A. Alfred Taubman, 91, who went to prison late in his career for his role in a scandal that rocked the art auction world, died Friday at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

The cause was a heart attack, his son Robert Taubman said in a statement.

Taubman Centers, the company A. Alfred Taubman founded, is one of the top mall owners and operators in the country, specializing in higher-end locales.

Mr. Taubman, who was worth about $3 billion, according to Forbes magazine, is also credited with helping develop the suburban mall concept as a place with plenty of parking that offered a "one-stop comparison shopping opportunity," as he put it in his 2007 autobiography, Threshold Resistance: The Extraordinary Career of a Luxury Retailing Pioneer.

He also had several side businesses, including one that got him into trouble. Mr. Taubman spent nearly a year in prison and paid about $7.5 million after a 2001 price-fixing conviction while he was chairman of Sotheby's auction house. Afterward, he concentrated on philanthropic work - his foundation gave hundreds of millions of dollars to medical, arts and public policy institutions.

In his memoir, he protested his innocence and said the conviction hurt his name. But it did little to disturb his lifestyle. He still had homes in Michigan, New York, London, and other spots. And he drew some sympathy for being the only person sent to prison for the scandal.

Mr. Taubman owned the John Wanamaker stores in Philadelphia from 1986 to 1994. - L.A. Times