Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismailis, has died at 88 in Lisbon. The Aga Khan Development Network announced his death on X. His successor will be named soon.
As the 49th hereditary imam of 15 million Ismailis, Aga Khan played a key role in guiding his community. He took over leadership in 1957 at just 20, following the death of his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan.
Wealth and Luxurious Lifestyle
Aga Khan amassed vast wealth from his family inheritance, horse breeding business, and real estate investments. His fortune ranged from $800 million to $13 billion. He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, owning a $200 million super-yacht, private jets, and an island in the Bahamas.
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Aga Khan dominated the horse racing world. He won the French owners’ championship in his first season and continued to achieve remarkable success. His horses, including Sea the Stars and Sinndar, won major titles. Shergar, his most famous horse, was kidnapped in 1983, and no trace of it was ever found.
In 1967, he founded the Aga Khan Development Network. It employs 80,000 people and funds schools, hospitals, and electricity projects across Africa and Asia. He believed economic development could reduce extremism, stating in a 2007 interview, “By assisting the impoverished through business, we are developing protection against extremism.”
Personal Life and Marriages
Aga Khan married twice. His first marriage in 1969 to British model Sarah Croker Poole ended in divorce in 1995. They had two sons and a daughter. In 1998, he married German-born Gabriele zu Leiningen, and they had a son. Their marriage ended in 2014.
Prince Karim Aga Khan held British, French, Swiss, and Portuguese citizenships. He studied Islamic history at Harvard and attended the prestigious Le Rosey School in Switzerland. He was known for bridging cultural and religious divides. Vanity Fair described him as someone who gracefully balanced spirituality and material success.
The Ismaili community now awaits the announcement of his successor.
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