Ratan Tata, a former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night. He was 86. Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran confirmed Tata's death and described him in a statement as his "friend, mentor, and guide." He did not provide a cause of death.

Ratan Tata, the former Tata Group chairman who put a staid and sprawling Indian conglomerate on the global stage with a string of high-profile acquisitions, has died, the Tata Group said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The patriarch of a powerful family, his Tata Group put an indelible stamp on Indian life while acquiring British brand names like Tetley Tea and Jaguar.