LONDON, Sept 2, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Tycoon Mohamed Al-Fayed, a controversial billionaire and the father of Dodi who was killed along with Princess Diana in 1997, has died aged 94 his family said in a statement 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 most for his outspoken and often foul-mouthed manner, his revenge on the Conservative party, his controversial purchase of the Harrods department store, and ownership of Fulham football club and the Ritz hotel in Paris.

With a business empire encompassing shipping, property, banking, oil, retail and construction, Fayed was also a philanthropist, whose foundation helped children in the UK, Thailand and Mongolia.

Fayed bought the Ritz in 1979 with his brother and the pair snapped up Harrods six years later after a long and bitter takeover battle.