Michael Butler began life as the son of a multimillionaire and created a substantial fortune of his own, until he was forced into bankruptcy at the age sixty-four and is ending life in a very different manner than he began it. Despite the moniker “playboy” that inevitably preceded his name for decades, he also worked behind the scenes with President John F. Kennedy to facilitate trade and peace in the Middle East; created the Organization of Economic Development for Illinois, the Illinois Sports Council, and the Lincoln Academy; brought the discothèque to America; designed the course that became the standard for U.S. Olympic equestrian trials; and produced a liturgical mass in two of the world’s largest cathedrals. Michael is a visionary who broke all the rules of Broadway musical theater to produce Hair, the biggest worldwide smash hit of all time, a political activist who made it onto Nixon’s “enemies list” twice, and a towering figure in the world of professional polo. He was an intimate partner in the private lives of many internationally famous people for more than eight decades.