Mohamed Al-Fayed, Father of Princess Diana's Late Boyfriend Dodi, Dead at 94
Mohamed Al-Fayed—the businessman who lost his son, film producer Dodi Fayed, in the car crash that also killed Princess Diana—has died. He was 94 years old.
The death of Al-Fayed, who previously owned the luxury department store Harrods in London, was confirmed by his family on Friday, September 1. "Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday August 30, 2023," the family's statement to the BBC read. "He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones."
Fulham Football Club, which Al-Fayed also owned at one point in his business career, also confirmed the news, adding in their own statement, "On behalf of everyone at Fulham Football Club, I send my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mohamed Al Fayed upon the news of his passing at age 94."
The statement, which was written by Al-Fayed's successor Shahid Khan, continued, "The story of Fulham cannot be told without a chapter on the positive impact of Mr Al Fayed as Chairman. His legacy will be remembered for our promotion to the Premier League, a Europa League Final, and moments of magic by players and teams alike."
Khan further paid tribute to the late entrepreneur by calling him "wise, colourful and committed."
"I am forever grateful for his trust in me to succeed him as Chairman in 2013," he concluded. "I join our supporters around the world in celebrating the memory of Mohamed Al Fayed, whose legacy will always be at the heart of our tradition at Fulham Football Club.”
Al-Fayed's death comes just shy of 26 years after his son, the aforementioned Dodi, perished in a Parisian car crash alongside Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Both Diana and Dodi, who had a whirlwind romance in the summer of 1997, died on August 31 of that same year.
