Divorced. Vincente Minnelli, 68, Oscar-winning Hollywood director (Gigi, 1958) and father, by his previous marriage to Judy Garland, of Singer-Actress Liza Minnelli; and Denise Minnelli, 40, best-dressed and bejeweled Beverly Hills hostess; after ten years of marriage, no children; in Los Angeles.

Died. Philip J. Levin, 62, multimillionaire real estate developer and president of the Madison Square Garden Corp.: of a heart attack; in Manhattan. The balding wheeler-dealer amassed much of his fortune of more than $100 million by building scores of shopping centers from Maine to Miami. He also became MGM's largest single stockholder, and in 1966 and 1967 staged unsuccessful proxy fights against the management. Levin then sold his MGM stock and bought into the conglomerate, Gulf & Western Industries. He headed Madison Square Garden since February.

Died. Fausto Cleva, 69, Trieste-born conductor associated with New York's Metropolitan Opera for the past half-century; of a heart attack suffered while conducting Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice; in Athens. Cleva's career got off to an auspicious start when the maestro who was scheduled to lead a 1920 performance in Ravenna, Italy, of Puccini's The Girl of the Golden West suddenly quit; the opera manager asked where he could find a substitute at the last minute. "Here's your man," said Puccini, pointing to 18-year-old Cleva, who had been conducting during rehearsals. Cleva eventually became a stalwart of the Met's Italian repertory.

Died. Yuri F. Faier, 81, chief conductor of the Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra from 1924 to 1963; in Moscow. While they showered Faier with bravos from Manhattan to Moscow, audiences were largely unaware that a congenital affliction had left the conductor almost totally blind, able to see only dim silhouettes. After joining the Bolshoi as a violinist, Faier memorized dozens of scores and choreographies until he knew just where each dancer should be at any point in any ballet. The portly maestro with perfect pitch was able to coordinate the orchestra precisely with the onstage movements of the dancers.

Died. Edward L. Ryerson, 84, civic-minded chairman of the immense Inland Steel Co. between 1940 and 1953; in Chicago. Though he once claimed to "resent the idea of being introduced or publicly identified as a representative of big business," Ryerson was one of the steel industry's most prominent and articulate spokesmen. After his 1953 retirement from Inland Steel, Ryerson's continuing participation in numerous Chicago community organizations earned him the title "Mr. Welfare."

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