Julia Koch

David Koch — the billionaire co-owner of Koch Industries and powerful political donor — has died. He was 79 years old. The death of the billionaire conservative icon, who stepped down from his role as executive vice president of the family’s company last year, was announced Friday morning by his older brother, Charles. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my brother David. Anyone who worked with David surely experienced his giant personality and passion for life,” Charles said in a statement. David was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer 27 years ago and given just a few years to live — but wound up beating those odds, Charles added. Last year, Charles said he was “deeply saddened” over his brother’s retirement due to his declining health. “David has always been a fighter and is dealing with this challenge in the same way,” the letter said. The Koch brothers are regarded as some of the biggest players in conservative politics. The two founded the powerful conservative group Americans for Prosperity and have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars backing GOP members at all levels of government, much to the dismay of the opposition party. David joined Koch Industries in 1970 and was the 11th richest man in the world with a net worth of $50.5 billion, according to Forbes. His brother is worth the same amount. Koch Industries, co-founded by the Koch brothers’ father in 1940, is the second-wealthiest private firm in the country with annual revenues estimated as high as $110 billion. David is survived by his wife, Julia Flesher, and their three children. In their own statement, the family remembered the philanthropist as their “walking Google.” “While we mourn the loss of our hero, we remember his iconic laughter, insatiable curiosity, and gentle heart,” the statement said. “His stories of childhood adventures enlivened our family dinners; his endless knowledge rendered him our ‘walking Google.’ His sensitive heart had him shed a tear at the beauty of his daughter’s ballet, and beam with pride when his son beat him at chess. We will miss the fifth link in our family.” David Koch with his wife Julia at a gala in 2009.Getty Images The Koch brothers have drawn the ire over the years of Democrats for their right-wing influence. But the pair has shown resistance to the Trump administration, with their political network famously refusing to endorse a candidate in the 2016 presidential election. “You’re role models and you’re terrible role models. So how — I don’t know how we could support them,” he said. Besides spending millions of dollars backing an array of GOP candidates and causes, David had his own foray into politics. Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities. Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your