Shirley Young, ex-GM VP and patron of arts, dies at 85

Shirley Young, a former vice-president of General Motors best known for her key role in the automaker's billion-dollar investment in China's auto industry through the Shanghai SAIC-GM joint venture, has died at age 85.

Young passed away on Saturday at a hospital in New York City. Before her death, she had just celebrated Christmas at home with her three sons, David, William and Douglas Hsieh.

In her later decades, Young, who was an accomplished pianist, became an ardent supporter of the arts, which she believed have the power to transcend ideological boundaries.