He has led world motorsport for over 15 years.
Britain's Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) from 1993 to 2009, died at the age of 81, former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said on Monday (May 24th).
"Max was like a member of my family, to me. We were like brothers. In a way, I am relieved, because he was in pain for too long," Bernie Ecclestone told the British agency Press Association.
Max Mosley, who was diagnosed with cancer, suffered a family tragedy when his son, Alexander (39), who suffered from depression, died of a cocaine overdose in 2009.
Born in London on April 13, 1940, he was the son of Oswald Mosley, founder in the 1930s of the British Union of Fascists party.
After studying physics and then law at Oxford, Max Mosley became a lawyer specializing in patent and trademark matters.
He had developed a taste for motor racing very early on, which had led him to the Brabham and Lotus Formula 2 team, until his retirement as a driver in 1969. He was then co-founder and manager of stable before occupying various positions at the top of world motorsport, including three terms as president of the International Automobile Federation.
In July 2008, Max Mosley had obtained more than 76,000 euros in damages from the Sunday weekly News of the World, which accused him of having participated in a "Nazi orgy".
The British justice had considered that the scene of sado-masochist frolics, of which the newspaper had diffused photos and a video on its site, did not present of character "Nazi" and that the recording of the video was not justified by the public's right to information.
With AFP
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