The Most Indispensable CEOs: Poll

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- On Sunday, news broke that Lazard(LAZ Quote) CEO Bruce Wasserstein was in the hospital with what was termed then as an "irregular heartbeat," though it was also reported that he was recovering.

Afterwards, several outlets began speculating on what Wasserstein's near-term absence might mean to the firm. For instance, he was actively engaged as a lead advisor in Kraft's(KFT Quote) attempts for British candy maker Cadbury(CBY Quote).

In that vein, we put out a poll earlier in the week asking TheStreet readers which company was most tied to the well-being of its own CEO.

But by Wednesday, things took an unexpected turn when it was announced that Wasserstein, 61, had passed away.

Media coverage of the passing of Wasserstein -- a dealmaking legend whose merger and acquisition exploits are renowned -- immediately began speculating on succession plans and the future for the bank. Lazard's Board of Directors named Vice Chairman Steven Golub as the interim CEO, but Lazard shares have fallen a little over 3% since Wednesday's close. On Friday, a report from Bloomberg said Lazard's directors plan to meet within the next two weeks to discuss a permanent replacement for the legend.

Still, it's clear Wasserstein's death will take a toll on Lazard in the weeks and months ahead. "The loss of Mr. Wasserstein will harm Lazard," Rochdale Securities's Richard Bove wrote in a note to investors. As a leading force in Lazard's recent resurrection, Bove also wrote that Wasserstein's "long history of success in the investment banking sector allowed him to build a clientele list that it will be hard for Lazard to maintain."