According to Egyptian media, billionaire businessman and former owner of Harrods and Fulham FC Mohamed Al-Fayed died at the age of 94.
The revelation comes just one day after the death anniversary of his son, Dodi Al-Fayed. He perished in the same automobile as Princess Diana in the infamous Paris car disaster on August 31, 1997.
Mr. Al-Fayed, who also owned the Hôtel Ritz in Paris, had long suspected that the catastrophe had been staged, even funding a film to promote the conspiracy notion.
Several Egyptian media outlets, including Nile FM, have announced his death.
According to aljazeera.net, Al- Fayed’s funeral was held in a London mosque following Friday prayers. This, however, has yet to be confirmed.
Mr. Al-Fayed will be remembered for his charity initiatives as well. In 1987, he established the Al Fayed Charitable Foundation to assist children with life-threatening illnesses and children living in poverty.
The foundation primarily collaborates with charities and hospices for disadvantaged and neglected children in the United Kingdom, Thailand, and Mongolia.
Mr. Al-Fayed married Heini Wathén, a Finnish socialite and former model, in 1985, and they had four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla, and Omar.
He paid £30 million for Fulham Football Club in 1997 and once erected a statue of Michael Jackson outside Craven Cottage when the singer paid a visit.
Mr Al Fayed sold off several of his high-profile firms in his final years. Harrods, the treasure of his corporate empire, was sold to Qatar for a stunning $2.4 billion in 2010.
“Of course it makes me sad,” he told the Evening Standard at the time. “You can go ask everyone, people don’t want me to go.” But first and foremost, I cannot bear this. I’m 77 years old, correct? I have children, grandchildren, you name it… I’ve done it. And now it’s time for me to slumber. And have fun.”
Three years later, in 2013, he also waved farewell to Fulham Football Club, which he sold for $300 million to fellow billionaire Shahid Khan.
Mr Al-Fayed is said to have never recovered from the death of his beloved son Dodi. On the 20th anniversary of the disaster, a family acquaintance told The Sun that Dodi’s flat was kept exactly as it was at the time of his death.
“He frequently spends hours on end sitting with Dodi,” they told the newspaper. He still misses him tremendously after 20 years. And when he’s in London, he’ll pay a visit to Dodi’s residence. Since Dodi’s death, nothing has altered on the inside. He won’t let anyone move anything.Since news articles from Egypt reporting on Al-Fayed’s passing, Fulham fans took to X to pay tribute.
One fan said: “Mohamed Al-Fayed sleep easy you legend, thank you for everything.”
While another said: “You let us live the dream, Proper Fulham. Rest in Peace Mohamed Al-Fayed.”
