Laura Krupinski, daughter, mom of plane crash victims, dies
A photo of Laura Krupinski taken in 2011. Laura is the daughter of Bonnie and Ben Krupinski and mother to William Maerov, who were among four killed in a plane crash off Amagansett in June 2018. Credit: Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Laura Krupinski, daughter of luxury developers Ben and Bonnie Krupinski and mother of William Maerov, who were among four people killed when their plane crashed off Amagansett last June, died suddenly Monday. She was 53.
Southampton Town police were called to Krupinski’s Southampton home after she became unresponsive. First aid was performed and she was taken to a local hospital, said Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki. The cause of death was unknown and under investigation, and the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy, Skrynecki said.
An uncle, Kevin Ackley of Dunnellon, Florida, remembered Krupinski, a former model who once appeared on the cover of Vogue, as a loving mother wracked with grief over the loss of her 22-year-old son. Ackley said he was estranged from Krupinski for many years but reconnected with his niece after the deaths of her parents and son.
“The last year it was basically hell for her,” Ackley said.
Krupinski and former husband Lance Maerov raised two children, including a daughter, Charlotte. Krupinski became estranged from her parents, noted philanthropists and builders to stars like Martha Stewart and Billy Joel, following a well-publicized feud and did not reconcile before her parents' deaths, Ackley said.
A representative for Lance Maerov said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened to learn about Laura’s tragic passing and ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has not issued a final report on the cause of last June's plane crash but said pilot Jon Dollard discussed the inclement weather for an hour before the fatal flight.
Dollard, 47, lost control of the Piper PA-31 Navajo as the plane approached East Hampton Airport on June 2, crashing about two miles south of Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett.
The Krupinskis, both 70, and Dollard were found in the water in the days after the crash. Police called off the search for William Maerov, who has not been found, a fact her uncle said tormented his mother.
“She loved her kids,” Ackley said. “The fact they never found his body really ate away at her.”
A funeral for Krupinski will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Most Holy Trinity Church in East Hampton.
Vera Chinese covers Suffolk County government and politics. She joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.