NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Brooke Astor, a philanthropist who gave away millions of dollars helping ordinary New Yorkers in Harlem as well as social undertakings like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library, died at the age of 105, local media reported on Tuesday.

    Astor, who died on Monday of pneumonia at her home overlooking the Hudson River, was known for her motto: "Money is like manure: it should be spread around."

    She donated more than 2 million dollars to charities in her lifetime, the New York Post said.

    The New York Public Library, the largest beneficiary that received more than 24 million dollars from Astor, praised Astor for her "passion, generosity, and immense style."

    "No one in the modern history of the Library played a more pivotal role in promoting, and supporting, the welfare of the Library than Brooke Astor," the library said in a statement on the homepage of its website.

    Other beneficiaries of Astor's generosity include the New York City Conservancy, the Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall and the Bronx Zoo.

    Astor's efforts in using the fortune of her late husband, Vincent Astor, for charities won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, in 1998.

    A family feud erupted in Astor's final year of life amid allegations that she was forced to sleep on a couch that smelled of urine while eating only pureed peas and oatmeal.

    Astor wrote four books, including "Patchwork Child," an autobiography, and "The Bluebird is at Home," a novel.

    Her death is expected to spark a bitter battle among her heirs over the 130 million dollars she left, the New York Post said.

    Also at stake is a trust valued at 60 million dollars left by her husband, reports said.

    In a will, Astor wrote her own epitaph: I had a wonderful life.