Jeff Bezos' 'rock' who'll be by his side as he weds Lauren Sanchez: Adopted father fled Cuba as a teen - and bravely invested in 'start-up' Amazon

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

When Jeff Bezos weds his girlfriend of six years, Lauren Sanchez, in Venice this week, there'll be one man by his side who's been a constant in the Amazon mogul's life - and even funded his global brand when it was a mere start-up.
Despite protests from locals, Italy 's Lagoon City will play host to one of the biggest celebrity weddings in recent decades, when the billionaire Amazon CEO, 61, marries ex journalist Sanchez, 55.
The guest list, thought to be just under 200 people, could feature some of the most famous faces in the world - with Oprah, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates all rumoured to be jetting in to help the happy couple celebrate.
However, it is Miguel Bezos, the man whose name the entrepreneur took when he was just four, after his mother Jacklyn married him in 1968, who will steel his nerves as Sanchez walks down the aisle.
Miguel, who goes by the name of 'Mike', legally adopted Bezos and raised him as if he was his own son - backing his business ventures even when Jeff warned him he might lose his money.
Now 79, Miguel has frequently been dubbed a 'rock' in the Amazon billionaire's life and he's likely to play a major part in this week's three-day nuptials.
As one of the world's richest men, Jeff - worth around $227billion - has frequently made reference to Miguel's extraordinary rags-to-riches life, after his father fled his native Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city on the Caribbean island, when Fidel Castro seized power.
Three years ago, he presented Miguel with the award for 'embodying the heart of the immigrant story' at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Awards.
Father and son: Miguel Bezos has been a constant in the life of the Amazon mogul since he adopted him when he was just four, after he married Jeff's mother Jacklyn in 1968 (Pictured: Miguel and Jeff at the Statue Of Liberty Museum Opening Celebration at Battery Park on May 15, 2019)
Jeff became visibly emotional as he described how Miguel had left for the US at just 16 'fighting for a better life' after Castro nationalized his father's successful lumber mill business.
He said Miguel had endured 'tough experiences' saying immigrants quickly learned how to be resilient. He said: 'That's certainly the story of my dad. He came from Santiago, Cuba. He was 16. He spoke no English, he had to make his way.
'He had those tough experiences. I think in every immigrant you'll find a deep optimism and a deep resilience too.
'My dad is an intense hard worker. My dad is warm and he teaches an easy smile. He adds he and his siblings could not 'have had a better role model.'
Earlier, in 2019, he bought his father a star, costing $2million, on a piece of artwork at the Statue of Liberty museum in New York which honours immigrants.
The Amazon founder is actually the biological son of Ted Jorgensen - and was born on January 12, 1964 as Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen - but became estranged from his father when he split from his mother Jacklyn 17 months later after his birth.
Soon after Jacklyn started dating her co-worker, Mike Bezos, and, after the pair were wed, she asked Jorgensen's legal permission to allow her new husband to adopt their son, Jeffrey, and he agreed.
Jorgensen was only revealed as Bezos's biological father in October 2013 and only learned the identity of the son when approached by a writer working on a biography.
Reporter Brad Stone, author of 'The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and Amazon,' tracked Mr Jorgensen down to a small bike repair shop in Glendale Arizona in 2012.
He was stunned to discover Mr Jorgensen had no idea who Bezos was or his intimate connection to him.
Jorgensen said: 'I'm anxious about it. I would like to connect with him. I'm not in great health.
'I don't plan on dying just yet but it does make me think, it plays a part in wanting to see him.
'I'm his biological father and I just want to shake his hand and tell him he's done well and be recognized as his father. I would want that no matter what he turned out to be.'
The pair never reconciled before Jorgensen's death in 2015 but a year before he died he begged his son to get in touch with him.
Jorgensen, who owned a small biker repair shop in Arizona, told MailOnline: 'I don't think he will come to me now. I haven't heard a word from him or had any sign that he wants to connect with me.
'I hoped with the publicity it might happen but I can't blame him. I guess I wasn't a very good father.'
When asked about his biological father in 1999, Bezos told Wired: 'The reality, as far as I'm concerned, is that my dad is my natural father.
'The only time I ever think about it, genuinely, is when a doctor asks me to fill out a form.'
Shortly after getting married, Miguel graduated in maths and computer science from the University of Albuquerque in New Mexico.
The talented graduate was offered a job with Exxon, and the family moved to Houston, Texas - upping sticks whenever a new role with Exxon came up.
Bezos eventually went to Princeton, where he graduated in 1986. Miguel and Jacklyn backed their son's ideas, investing $245,573 in Amazon back in 1995 - despite Bezos warning them it was incredibly risky.
Speaking of their investment in the past, Miguel said: 'We were fortunate enough that we have lived overseas and we have saved a few pennies so we were able to be an angel investor. The rest is history.'
That stake, around 3.4 per cent of the company, is likely to be worth over $30billion now, although it is not known exactly how much the couple still own.
In 2023, the Amazon CEO relocated from Seattle to South Florida, revealing he wanted to be closer to his parents.
'My parents have always been my biggest supporters. They recently moved back to Miami, the place we lived when I was younger,' Bezos said.
'I want to be close to my parents, and Lauren and I love Miami. Also, Blue Origin's operations are increasingly shifting to Cape Canaveral.