WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Activist investor Ralph Whitworth died on Thursday at the age of 60, after battling throat cancer.
Whitworth died at UC San Diego Medical Center. Whitworth had resigned as chairman of Hewlett-Packard Co. in July 2014 and took a leave of absence in order to focus on his health.
He had co-founded Relational Investors LLC along with David Batchelder. Whitworth has served on 11 corporate boards in the U.S., and his San Diego-based company, Relational Investors LLC, once had $6 billion in assets.
In a WSJ report, Whitworth is described as 'a leading pioneer in activist investing who sparked change at companies like Home Depot and Hewlett-Packard.'
Whitworth had graduated from University of Nevada. According to reports, Whitworth and his family committed $1 million to fund a tutoring program aimed at helping high school students in Humboldt County prepare for college.
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