Dorian Bennett, a French Quarter real estate agent known for many years as a "broker to the stars" who was deeply steeped in the arts and cultural life of his adopted city, died on Aug. 9.

His death was the result of a long battle with cancer, according to his daughter, Delia Bennett. He was 72.

"He was a French Quarter real estate legend, you could safely say," Michael Wilkinson, a realtor at French Quarter Real Estate, said of Bennett, describing him as both a rival and inspiration. "When I started out in the 1980s, he was by far the top person in the French Quarter."

Born in Hammond in modest circumstances, Bennett made his way to Tulane University, where he studied fine arts and Russian history. He had a lifelong love of the arts and, according to his daughter, and was determined to

See Full Page