Self-made billionaire and the “Bill Gates” of the sixties Ross Perot has passed away.
He was 89 years of age. Perot is known for being a patriot and businessman who predicted the destruction NAFTA would unleash on the middle class and manufacturing in America.
From ABC: Businessman and former presidential candidate Ross Perot has died. He was 89 years old.
Family spokesperson James Fuller confirmed his death Tuesday to ABC News, and did not immediately disclose the nature or cause of his death.
The billionaire businessman became a household name due to his role as a third party candidate in the 1992 and 1996 presidential races.
According to Forbes’ latest available data, Perot was worth $4.1 billion at the time of his death.
From Dallasnews: The pioneer of the computer services industry, who founded Electronic Data Systems Corp. in 1962 and Perot Systems Corp. 26 years later, was just 5-foot-6, but his presence filled a room.
“Describe my father?” Ross Perot Jr., his only son and CEO of the Perot Group, asked rhetorically in an interview. “Obviously a great family man, wonderful father. But at the end of the day, he was a wonderful humanitarian.
“Every day he came to work trying to figure out how he could help somebody.”
Perot was diagnosed with leukemia in February. A massive secondary infection the next month nearly killed him, according to the family.
In true Perot fashion, he fought back, showing up at the office most days in his dark suit with the omnipresent American flag on his lapel.
Perot entertained a steady stream of well-wishers at Perot headquarters on Turtle Creek Boulevard and spent Easter with his family at their compound in Bermuda.
He celebrated his 89th birthday in June with a family lunch at his office and a dinner at the home of his daughter, Carolyn Perot Rathjen.
