Who was the famous millionaire and richest passenger to die aboard the Titanic?

John Jacob Astor IV (July 1864 – April 1912) was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. Astor IV died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic during the early hours of April 15. He was among the 1,514 people on board who did not survive. Following the guidelines of women and children first, Astor IV’s wife made it to a lifeboat and survived, but Astor didn’t, and died at age 47.

Astor was the richest passenger aboard the Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of nearly $87 million when he died (equivalent to $2.13 billion in 2015).