This 1992 file photo shows presidential hopeful H. Ross Perot at a rally in Austin, Texas.
AP
Billionaire philanthropist and Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot is dead at 89, CNBC has confirmed.
Perot, who ran for president twice in 1992 and 1996, died after a five-month battle with leukemia, said James Fuller, a representative for the Perot family.
“In business and in life, Ross was a man of integrity and action. A true American patriot and a man of rare vision, principle and deep compassion, he touched the lives of countless people through his unwavering support of the military and veterans and through his charitable endeavors,” Fuller said in a statement.
Perot is survived by his wife, Margot, his five children and 16 grandchildren.
Perot was an early tech entrepreneur who founded his first company, Electronic Data Systems, in 1962 with $1,000 he had in savings. More than two decades later, he founded information technology services provider Perot Systems, which was…
