Ratan Tata, former chairman of India's Tata Sons, dies at the age of 86

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

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

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

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

“He ensured stable leadership of one of the oldest and most reputed business houses in India. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond the boardrooms,” Modi said on X.

“Tata has endeared himself to several people thanks to his humility, kindness and unwavering commitment to the betterment of our society,” Modi said in his tributes, referring to his philanthropic work.

Industrialist Harsh Goenka called him a “titan”.

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

The 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 company. 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 founded an airline in 1932 that later became Air India. The government later took it over.

The Tata Group bought state-owned Air India in 2021. It also founded 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 automobile industry by introducing the Tata Nano, a tiny rear-engined vehicle that cost about 100,000 rupees (then $2,000). It was advertised as a “people’s car” and could accommodate up to five adults. Ratan Tata had said it would provide a “safe, affordable and weatherproof mode of transport” to millions of middle and low-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 retired in 1991.

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