Washington, July 9: Ross Perot, a pioneer of computer engineering services industry, died aged 89 on Tuesday. The billionaire philanthropist was diagnosed with leukemia five months ago, in February. His demise has left a huge void at Perot Systems Corporation, the company he founded, said his son.

Perot breathed his last at his Dallas-based residence, in presence of the family members. His condition had deteriorated last month and he had subsequently stopped visiting the Perot Group headquarters. Former Argentine President Fernando de la Rua Passes Away at 81

Perot's kin recall him as a "true American fighter", who fought back to life in march this year when he was nearly killed in a post-leukemia infection.

The deceased, however, eded up shocking the team of medical experts by recovering in March. He also resumed his daily visit to the Perot Group headquarters, where he was spotted in his trademark dark suit.

Perot had also taken the political plunge, unsuccessfully contesting as an independent candidate for the President's post in 1992 and 1996.

Perot's success in the computers sector, combined with his wealth and fame for philanthropic activities, posed him as a formidable challenger in 1992. The Republicans had blamed him for George Bush Sr's loss to Bill Clinton, as he had dented a large chunk of the conservative vote.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2019 08:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).