French businessman and former politician Bernard Tapie passed away at the age of 78, following a four-year battle with cancer, his family announced on Sunday.
“Dominique Tapie and his family have the immense sadness to announce the death of her husband and their father, Bernard Tapie, this Sunday,” the Tapie family said in a statement to La Provence newspaper in Marseilles.
The French mogul is known for his stake in sportswear company Adidas, as well as his run as president of the Olympique de Marseille football club.
“Olympique de Marseille learned with deep sadness of the passing of Bernard Tapie. He will leave a great void in the hearts of the Marseillais and will forever remain in the legend of the club,” the club said in a statement.
Born in Paris in 1943, Tapie built his career to become one of France’s richest men. He also entered politics, becoming urban affairs minister under François Mitterrand in the 1990s and later an MP in the French and European Parliaments.
Tapie’s empire, however, became plagued with controversy, starting with the football match-fixing scandal after Olympique de Marseille won the French championship and later the Champions League, which saw him spend time in jail.
Following a string of scandals, Tapie was forced to admit in 2015that “I am ruined. I haven’t got a thing.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte released a statement, calling Tapie a “gilded legend.”
“The man who had enough fighting spirit to move mountains and take down the moon never laid down arms, fighting cancer until its last moments,” the statement said.
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