NEW DELHI (AP) — Ratan Tata, a former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died Wednesday evening at a hospital in Mumbai. He was 86.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran confirmed Tata’s death and described him in a statement as his “friend, mentor and guide”.

Tata was admitted this week to Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai, the city where he lived. Shortly after being admitted to hospital, Tata issued a statement on Monday saying there was no cause for concern about his health and that he was undergoing check-ups for age-related medical conditions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as a visionary leader, a compassionate and extraordinary human being.

“He provided steady leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond the boardrooms,” Modi said on X.

“Tata endeared himself to several people, thanks to his humility, kindness and an unwavering commitment to make our society better,” Modi said in his tribute, referring to his philanthropic work.

Industrialist Harsh Goenka called him a ‘titan’.

Tata received the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s most distinguished civilian awards, in 2000.

Tata Group is a sprawling collection of nearly 100 companies, including the country’s largest automaker, the largest private steel company and a leading outsourcing firm. The companies employ more than 350,000 people worldwide. In June 2008, Tata bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion.

Tata pioneered commercial aviation in India when it launched an airline in 1932 that later became Air India. The government later took over.

Tata Group bought state-owned Air India in 2021. It also started a full-service airline, Vistara, with Singapore Airlines, but recently merged it with Air India.

Tata companies include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and information technology company Tata Consultancy Services.

In 2009, the company surprised the auto industry with the launch of Tata Nano, a small rear-engine vehicle that cost about 100,000 rupees (then $2,000). Published as a ‘People’s Car’, it could seat five adults. Ratan Tata had said it would provide a “safe, affordable all-weather form of transportation” to millions of middle- and lower-income Indian consumers.

However, due to low sales of the small car, the company stopped production in 2018.

Ratan Tata graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He joined the Tata group in 1961 and succeeded JRD Tata as chairman of Tata Sons after the latter’s retirement in 1991.

In December 2012, Tata retired as chairman of the Tata Sons. He briefly served as interim chairman from October 2016, after the ousting of his successor, Cyrus Mistry. He returned to retirement in 2017 when Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed chairman of the Tata Group.