NEW DELHI– Ratan Tata, former chairman of the Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died in a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday evening. 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 to Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai this week.

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

“He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contributions 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.