Ted Forstmann and Padma Lakshmi in May 2010.

Ted Forstmann, Padma Lakshmi’s boyfriend, died Monday. He was 71.

The “Top Chef” host, 41, had been quietly dating Forstmann, the billionaire head of IMG Worldwide, for years. According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, when Lakshmi had a falling out with the father of her young daughter, Forstmann stepped in to fill his shoes. The businessman had previously been romantically linked to Elizabeth Hurley and Princess Diana.

Forstmann was incredibly accomplished. A former investment banker, he became the CEO of IMG, the world’s largest sports talent agency, in 2004. Under his leadership, IMG returned more than $15 billion to investors.

Forstmann was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year. He pledged to fight the disease, telling the New York Times, “This is not how I want to end. It’s a bend in the road for me.”