Transport Topics and other publications have reported that T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oil and energy investor, died at age 91.
Pickens died Wednesday of natural causes while in hospice care, reportedly surrounded by friends and family. In 2017, he suffered a series of strokes and was hospitalized in July last year, after what he reportedly called a “Texas-sized fall.”
Pickens followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the oil and gas industry. He formed his own company and built a reputation for himself. In the 1980s, he switched his business efforts from drilling for oil to Wall Street financial markets.
Later in his career, Pickens championed renewable energy, including wind power. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated Pickens’ net worth at $3 billion.
Various sources reported that he donated a total of several hundred million dollars over the years to his beloved alma mater, Oklahoma State University. He also gave $50 million each to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
All of us in the @okstate family are deeply saddened by the passing of @boonepickens. At the same time, we join in celebrating his incredible life. He was the ultimate Cowboy – https://t.co/7fBLhNbbBQ #okstate #RememberingBoone pic.twitter.com/Vy5ZK2kwHB
— Burns Hargis (@burnshargis) September 11, 2019
