Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims for almost seven decades, a man who combined moral leadership and philanthropic activities with a vast personal fortune, has died in Lisbon, Portugal, according to a statement released today by his spokesperson, Fayyaz Nurmohamed. He was 88.

“He was a unique historic figure,” said Arif Lalani, a former Canadian ambassador who ran the Aga Khan’s diplomatic service from 2016 to 2020, comparing the span and influence of the Aga Khan’s reign to that of the late Queen Elizabeth II. That role began in 1957 when the 20-year-old prince was catapulted from his life as an undergraduate student at Harvard University to become the 49th hereditary imam of the world’s estimated 15 million Ismailis.

Though Ismaili communities are spread over two dozen countries, primarily in Asia, Canada became an important focus for the group during the Aga Khan’s reign, after the government of Pierre Trudeau welcomed over 6,000 Ismaili refugees from Uganda who had been expelled by dictator Idi Amin in 1972. The community now numbers more than 80,000 and includes many business and community leaders, notably Canada’s first Muslim justice minister and first Muslim Supreme Court Justice.

“There was a special relationship between Canada and his Highness,” said Mr. Lalani, who arrived in Canada from Uganda with his family as a small boy. The Aga Khan addressed a joint session of Parliament in 2014 and was instrumental in the construction of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and establishment of the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa in partnership with the Canadian government.