A reclusive member of the famous Rothschild family died Nov. 27 in a fire in Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills.

The Rothschild family is a European banking dynasty that became one of the most powerful and wealthy families in modern history.

Neighbors reportedly identified the body found on the Lookout Mountain Avenue property as belonging to William Rothschild.

A magazine found on the property was reportedly addressed to “WM DE ROTHSCHILD”. Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office is currently investigating the cause of death.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a fire in the 8500 block of Lookout Mountain Avenue at 4:40 p.m. PT. A team of 45 firefighters contained the fire within 33 minutes.

Some firefighters returned the next day to put out a small section of the house that continued to smolder.

The fire, which was contained to the first floor of the two-story hillside property, did not spread to surrounding vegetation or neighboring homes.

According to a statement from the fire department, “The 87-year-old’s home was not equipped with optional residential sprinkler systems.”

“The cause of the fire remains the focus of an active joint investigation by Los Angeles Police Department and Fire Department investigators,” the statement said.

The property, a modest two-bedroom, one-bathroom home valued at approximately $1,076,000, was reportedly vacant much of the time, according to Zillow, and many neighbors were unaware of the owner’s presence.

“It’s very sad. He was a good guy. A good neighbor,” said neighbor Jim Moore.

Another neighbor, Dana Gladstone, recounted it L.A. Times that he was at home during the incident but did not witness the fire.

He said he heard a woman say, “Oh my God, that’s terrible!”

“She was probably told he died,” Gladstone said.

Neighbors said Rothschild kept a collection of vintage cars, some in his home and others at a nearby property, decorated with busts of famous figures such as Raphael and Michelangelo and several surveillance cameras. Two people noticed that his collection included a red Porsche that previously belonged to Michael Jordan Los Angeles Times.

Newsweek has reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department for further comment.

The Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish family from Frankfurt, Germany, dominated European banking, with their English and French branches exerting significant influence in finance and politics, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. The family built a financial empire that spanned several countries and significantly influenced global banking, finance and politics.

The family’s fortune was founded by Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a Jewish banker and money changer in Frankfurt. By collaborating with European royalty and aristocracy, he laid the foundation for the family’s financial empire.

The family has long been the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, many of which are based on unfounded and exaggerated claims about their wealth, power and influence. These conspiracy theories often rely on family influence in banking and finance.