Egyptian tycoon Mohamed Al-Fayed, a controversial millionaire and the father of Dodi, who was assassinated with Princess Diana in 1997, died at the age of 94, his family announced Friday.
“Mrs Mohamed Al-Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday August 30, 2023,” his family said in a statement released by the football club he once owned, Fulham FC.
“He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones. The family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time.”
Fayed will be remembered for his loud and often foul-mouthed demeanor, his retaliation against the Conservative Party, his contentious purchase of Harrods department store, and ownership of Fulham Football Club and the Ritz hotel in Paris.
Fayed, who had a commercial empire that included shipping, property, banking, oil, retail, and construction, was also a humanitarian whose charity aided children in the United Kingdom, Thailand, and Mongolia.
Fayed and his brother bought the Ritz in 1979, then six years later they bought Harrods after a long and nasty takeover struggle.