Billionaire Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who earned hefty commissions by brokering deals between countries, died on Tuesday night in London at the age of 82, BBC reported. He had been undergoing treatment for Parkinson’s disease, his family said in a statement.

Khashoggi is survived by his wife. “AK was a pioneer who achieved global recognition in a golden age through his extraordinary business achievements and renowned generosity,” the family’s statement said. “He combined commercial acumen with an over-riding loyalty to his country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His work always furthered the interests of his country.”

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At the age of 21, Khashoggi enrolled at Chico State College in California when he brokered his first major deal. He sold trucks worth $3 million to Egypt for which he received a commission of $150,000, reported The New York Times. After that, Khashoggi never returned to college for his degree.

Khashoggi, who was once said to be one of the richest men in the world, was known for his lavish lifestyle and glamorous parties. His wealth was once estimated at £2.4 billion (Rs 23,623 crore approximately), reported AFP. He had brokered the arms deals between the United States firms and Saudi Arabia in the 1960s and 1970s. He also once owned one of the world’s largest yachts, Nabila, which appeared in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again. Khashoggi was friends with self-styled godman Chandraswami, who was also his on-call adviser, reported AFP.

Khashoggi’s fortunes started collapsing after he got involved in high-profile scandals. Khashoggi had to sell Nabila and private DC9 airliner once his business started running into financial difficulties. In the 1980s, he had handed over his yacht to the Sultan of Brunei who then had sold it to now-US President Donald Trump for $29 million (Rs 180 crore approximately), BBC reported. Nabila was then renamed Trump Princess.

In 1997, Khashoggi was charged with smuggling 37 paintings into France and was ordered to pay a $1.6 million fine (Rs 10 crore approximately). In 1998, Ritz Hotel’s casino in London had opted for an out-of-court settlement for its lawsuit against Khashoggi for £8 million (Rs 78 crore approximately) of gambling debts.