Texas tycoon T. Boone Pickens has died at age 91

The former oil man and venture capitalist died of natural causes.

September 11, 2019, 2:56 PM

T. Boone Pickens, a self-made oil tycoon and venture capitalist from Texas, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, according to his website.

Pickens died of natural causes at his Dallas home with his family by his side, spokesman Jay Rosser told the website.

Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens and his wife Toni Chapman Brinker attend the 2016 Time 100 Gala at Lincoln Center, April 26, 2016, in New York City.
Taylor Hill/Getty Images, FILE

The longtime Dallas resident and icon was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He is survived by five children and 11 grandchildren.

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Pickens founded what later became Mesa Petroleum in 1957, and left it in 1996 to form the energy-focused investment firm BP Capital. During this time he gained a reputation for being a fighter for shareholders rights.

T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman of BP Capital LLC, speaks during an interview in New York, Jan. 21, 2010.
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He also gained widespread attention for launching a self-funded campaign in July 2008 aimed at reducing America's dependence on OPEC oils, arguing it could threaten the nation's economy and national security. He spent $100 million of his own money on the campaign.

A younger generation may remember him for his famous twitter clapback to the rapper Drake, who wrote "The first million is the hardest." Pickens wrote back, "The first billion is a helluva lot harder."

Pickens was also a longtime supporter of his alma mater, Oklahoma State University and contributed more than $500 million to the school over the years, according to ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA. The school's football stadium is named after him.

PHOTO: T. Boone Pickens, center, answers a question during a news conference Monday, Aug. 17, 2009, in Stillwater, Okla., after touring the new stadium renovations at Oklahoma State for which Pickens provided the bulk of the funding. — T. Boone Pickens, center, answers a question during a news conference Monday, Aug. 17, 2009, in Stillwater, Okla., after touring the new stadium renovations at Oklahoma State. At left is athletic director Mike Holder. At right is Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis. Through a series of donations, Pickens provided the bulk of the funding for a $286 million stadium overhaul.
Sue Ogrocki/AP, FILE

In addition to his generosity towards OSU, Pickens was also a famous philanthropist through his own foundation, the T. Boone Pickens Foundation, which he founded in 2006. His philanthropic impact reached almost $2 billion total through matching initiatives, according to his website.

“Nobody has done what Boone did,” Steve Taylor, retired chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, said in a statement for Boone's obituary posted on his website. "He wanted to enjoy the fun of giving away money, and seeing what happened with it. Scholarships. Football stadiums. Engineering schools. Hospitals."