SP Hinduja, billionaire patriarch of his richest family Britannia and chairman of the global group Hinduja has died in London at the age of 87, his family confirmed.

Hinduya, commonly known as S.P. or Sri, was reported to have suffered from dementia.

Hinduya held the reins of the family dynasty. In the 1970s, he started a business in India with his brother Gopi, but spent most of his time in the UK.

The duo has transformed the Hinduja Group from a relatively small family business to a company operating in 38 countries spanning sectors such as automotive, oil, banking, media and healthcare.

The empire expanded through deals such as the 1987 takeover of the Ashok Leyland group, which included the remnants of British automaker British Leyland. Three years earlier, the group had bought Gulf Oil from the American oil company Chevron.

Their UK assets include the 67,000 sqm 18th century Carlton House terrace near Buckingham Palace and the historic Old War Office in Whitehall.

More recently, the two brothers have been embroiled in a dispute over the future of their business empire as Gopi Hinduja challenged the legality of a power of attorney given to Shri’s daughters due to his health problems.

According to Reuters