President Emmanuel Macron of France led the tributes on Wednesday to the Islamic spiritual leader, Aga Khan IV, who died in Lisbon on Tuesday night at the age of 88.
"The Prince Aga Khan devoted his life to the promotion of peace, tolerance and development," said Macron who in 2018 awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour – France’s highest national medal in recognition of his philanthropic work.
"His commitment to dialogue between cultures will remain a source of inspiration for us all."
Symbol of peace
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described him as a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed him as a very good friend. "He was an extraordinarily compassionate global leader," he added.
Prince Karim al-Husseini was regarded as a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed and given nearly divine status as the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam.
Born in Geneva on 13 December 1936 to Prince Aly Khan and the former British socialite Joan Yarde-Buller, he was bequeathed the title of Aga Khan in 1957 at the age of 20 by his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah, who wanted the honour to skip a generation. Shah said he wanted a young man as Aga Khan to cope the new age.
The prince, a student at Harvard University in the United States at the time of his elevation, traversed that landscape on a dazzling array of luxury jets and yachts.
He represented Iran in the skiing event at the 1964 Winter Olympics and five years later married the British model Sarah Croker Poole with whom he had three children.
After they divorced in 1995, he had another child with the German lawyer and equal rights campaigner Gabriele Renate Thyssen.
Leave a 'better world'
Fuelled by his enormous wealth derived from tithes paid by Ismailis around the world, he launched an apolitical secular development foundation in 1967 credited with raising literacy levels in 18 countries across South and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
"Leaders and staff of the Aga Khan Development Network offer our condolences to the family of His Highness and to the Ismaili community worldwide," said the network on its website.
"As we honour the legacy of our founder, we continue to work with our partners to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities across the world, as he wished, irrespective of their religious affiliations or origins."
The Aga Khan also pursued a goal of educating the world about the richness of Muslim culture.
"I was born with Islamic ethics in a Muslim family. There is nothing wrong with being well off as long as money has a social and ethical value and is not the object of one's own greed," he told the French news agency AFP in 2008.
"One of the principles of Islam is that on his deathbed every person must try to leave behind a better world."
Alongside the philanthropic ventures, the Aga Khan IV also oversaw the racehorsing empire built up by his grandfather and his father.
Racing empire
"The idea of entering into an activity that was in no way central to the Ismaili Imamat, an activity in which no member of my family – neither my brother nor my sister nor I – had any understanding, in itself raised a major question mark," he said in a book published in 2011 celebrating 50 years in the racehorse business.
But the neophyte adapted. By the time he died, his horseracing and breeding operations at the Aiglemont estate near Gouvieux in northern France along with other stud farms in the area had helped him to become one of France's most influential owner-breeders.
Products of his stables won a record seven titles at the Prix de Diane, one of the most prestigious races on the international racing circuit.
Shergar, the 1981 winner of the Derby at Epsom, was also one of his star breeds. The horse was kidnapped in on 8 February 1983 from his Ballymany Stud in Ireland.
Negotiations were conducted with the thieves who broke off all communication after four days when the syndicate of owners did not accept that the horse was still alive.
After years of living in France, the Aga Khan moved to Portugal. He was with his family when he died.
His successor, chosen from among his male progeny or other relatives, will be revealed to his family and religious leaders in Lisbon before the name is made public.
