Dr. Assad Meymandi, the philanthropist who turned Raleigh into a national fine arts center, has died at the age of 89

A great Raleigh philanthropist who dedicated his life to helping others and making our nation's capital a national center for fine arts, literature, music and theater has passed away at the age of 89.

If you've had the opportunity to see great works of art in Raleigh, you probably owe at least part of it to Dr. Assad Meymandi. The Meymandi Concert Hall, where the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra plays, and the Meymandi Exhibition Gallery at the North Carolina Museum of Art are named after him.

"We are aware of the many great things Dr. Assad Meymandi has done for our community", said Larry Wheeler, former director of the NC Museum of Art. He spoke at Meymandi's induction ceremony into the Raleigh Hall of Fame in 2012.

"What makes him special is his heart. He believes so passionately in the causes he supports", he added.

Meimandi grew up in Iran, in a family that Wheeler describes as noble. His father was a physician to the Iranian royal family. However, when political turmoil began in Iran, the family left the country and eventually ended up in North Carolina, where Meymandi became involved in the mental health field as a psychiatrist and later as a philanthropist.

"He cares a lot about our community. He cares about people", Wheeler says. "He believes Raleigh and the Triangle are destined to become a great national arts center".

Meymandi moved to Raleigh in the early 1960s. Decades later, he became a member of the city's Hall of Fame. He also received the North Carolina Award, the state's highest civilian honor, for his contributions to the visual arts.

According to the North Carolina Medical Society, Meymandi "helped make Raleigh a center for art, music, literature and education".

Although the concert and exhibition halls bear his last name, he actually named them after his mother and father.

Meymandi also supports the arts and education in Iran, where he has funded the construction of a symphony hall, a school, a public library and new homes for families affected by the earthquake.

According to NCMS, his only dream was to build an opera house for the North Carolina State Opera on the former Dix Hospital site where he began his career a half-century ago. He pledged funds to turn the area into Dix Park.