American billionaire politician Ross Perot dies

Ross Perot, an American billionaire businessman and politician from Texas, has died, his family announced.

Mr Perot died on Tuesday morning at his residence, according to the Dallas Morning News which broke the news. He was 89.

He ran unsuccessfully for president as an independent candidate in 1992 and 1996, during which he tapped into a deep ideological sentiment that swung the outcome of both elections.

Mr Perot, a prominent philanthropist, broke from the Republican Party in the early 1990s and launched the Reform Party in 1995.

Born June 27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas, he enrolled in the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, but later joined IBM as a salesman.