Dubai — Emirati billionaire Majid Al Futtaim, who rose from working as a bank clerk to creating an eponymous business empire most known for its massive Dubai mall with an indoor ski slope, died on Friday.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced Al Futtaim’s death in a post on Twitter, praising him as one of the sheikhdom’s “most important merchants.”
“May God have mercy on him and place him in his spacious gardens,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote.
A cause for his death wasn’t immediately announced. Nor was his age. However, prayers for him and his family had circulated on social media in recent days.
Majid Al Futtaim’s business empire also acknowledged his death online, but did not respond to queries from The Associated Press.
“Majid Al Futtaim was a visionary entrepreneur who transformed the face of business in the entire region and his lifetime achievements have been an inspiration for many,” the company wrote on Twitter. “Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Majid’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The Al Futtaim family’s business empire dates back to the 1930s, when Dubai remained a small pearling village before the discovery of oil in what would become the United Arab Emirates. Al Futtaim was a family trading company allied with the city-state’s ruling Al Maktoum family.
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