S. Daniel Abraham, the Force Behind Slim-Fast, Dies at 100

Business|S. Daniel Abraham, the Force Behind Slim-Fast, Dies at 100

S. Daniel Abraham, an entrepreneur who turned a tiny family business into a giant that dominated the weight-loss industry with popular brands like Slim-Fast and Dexatrim, died on Sunday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 100.

His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the family, Rabbi Abe Unger.

Mr. Abraham built his fortune on a pharmaceutical company that his father, a dentist, bought for $5,000 in 1947 after spotting it in an advertisement in the trade publication Drug Store News. Mr. Abraham expanded the company into an empire with a line that came to include Slim-Fast, a weight-loss product that involved no complex diets, calorie counting or weighing of ingredients, and that did not forbid specific foods or beverages.

“What I wanted to bring to market was a meal replacement in liquid form, composed of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and even a little healthy fat,” he wrote in “Everything Is Possible,” a memoir published in 2010 and written with Joseph Telushkin.

When Slim-Fast — since rebranded as SlimFast — was introduced in 1977, it was sold premixed in powder form, which buyers then blended with skim milk. The beverage was intended to constitute breakfast and lunch followed by a “sensible” dinner, as its television commercials advised. A ready-to-drink version appeared in 1989.

Mr. Abraham, whose family of six at the time lived in Israel for much of the 1970s, was also active politically, especially in his later years. In pursuit of Middle East peace, he cultivated relationships with top Israeli, American and Arab leaders, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a friend for more than three decades. Mr. Abraham was particularly close to Bill and Hillary Clinton, becoming one of the biggest donors to Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 campaign for president.