HELENA -- Fashion designer Liz Claiborne was known by Montanans as a generous philanthropist who, along with husband Art Ortenberg, supported numerous charitable, civic and educational groups in the state.

Claiborne died Tuesday at New York Presbyterian Hospital after suffering from cancer for a number of years, according to her personal assistant Gwen Satterfield. Claiborne was 78.

Claiborne and her husband owned a ranch near Helena and were active in the Montana community over the years.

''Liz Claiborne loved her home in Montana, and Montanans who got to know her appreciated her dedication to this state,'' said Sarah Elliott, spokeswoman for Gov. Brian Schweitzer. ''Our prayers are with Art and the entire family.''

Claiborne and her husband sponsored the Race to the Sky, a 350-mile sled-dog race, from 1991 to 1994. The following year they received the Governor's Humanities Award for their financial support of several efforts, including the Montana Heritage Project.

The project, part of the Montana Historical Society, was created to improve appreciation of community histories and culture.

In 2001, Claiborne and Ortenberg loaned $250,000 to the struggling Pyramid Mountain Lumber Co. in Seeley Lake.

At the time, Dick King, president of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corp., said the couple understood the community's needs.

''They think this is the sort of small, independent mill that we need to try to keep alive,'' King said.

Claiborne had a minor scrap with the law in Helena in 2004, when she was fined $140 and given a 30-day deferred sentence for leaving the scene of an accident in her yellow Porsche.

Claiborne was cited after witnesses reported seeing the sports car leave after turning too sharply and scraping the bumper of an unoccupied vehicle in a grocery store parking lot. She later apologized.

With husband Art Ortenberg and partners Leonard Boxer and Jerome Chazen, Claiborne launched her label in 1976 after working for years as a relatively unknown dress designer. The brand emphasized ensemble sportswear, quality and keeping the price tag below that of other designers. Claiborne and her husband retired from the day-to-day operations in 1989.

Funeral services for Claiborne were pending.

-- AP fashion writer Samantha Critchell contributed to this report