Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, better known as Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims, has died at the age of 88. The billionaire businessman and philanthropist passed away on February 4 in Lisbon, Portugal, the Aga Khan Foundation said.
Aga Khan IV was the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, and his family claims to be direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.
Born in Geneva on 13 December 1936, Aga Khan IV spent his childhood in Kenya and was appointed in Tanzania to succeed his grandfather, Aga Khan III, in 1957 as the spiritual leader of the sect, which is estimated to have a population of 12 to 15 million globally.
He became the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Imamat at the age of 20 and held the position until his death.
A billionaire owner of yachts and jets, Aga Khan IV held citizenships in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Portugal, and Canada.
In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in the country, for his contributions to social development in India.
He was the founder and president of the Aga Khan Development Network, which employs 96,000 people and finances development programmes, particularly in Asia and Africa.
AKDN works in over 30 countries around the world and currently operates over 1,000 programmes and institutions—many of which date back over 60 years, and some over 100.
Despite being a spiritual leader, Aga Khan IV was also a billionaire businessman, who had an estimated net worth of $13 billion. According to Forbes, Aga Khan was one of the world's fifteen richest royals, and he was unique as he did not preside over a geographic territory.
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