Authorities have announced that Max Mosley, the former Formula One boss who died last May, chose to end his own life.
While his battle with cancer was previously disclosed, official information reported by the BBC says that his terminal diagnosis and debilitating pain drove Mosley to shoot himself. According to the Westminster Coroner's Court, Mosley, 81, had a final meal with his wife before penning a note and taking his life.
Mosley shepherded F1 for decades, leading a push toward greater safety in the wake of the deaths of Artyon Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. Reduced speeds and improved safety regulations drastically reduced the danger of open-wheel motorsport under his leadership, a fact that he considered his greatest achievement.
Despite that, he is a highly controversial figure. His father, Sir Oswald Mosley, founded and ran the British Union of Fascists during the 1930s. After working for the party early in life, he later distanced himself from their views to forge a successful path as one of motorsport's key power brokers. Yet is last term as the head of the FIA was marred by a tabloid report that he had hosted a Nazi-themed sex party. Though he admitted to the sex party, he denied the allegation that it was Nazi-themed and won a £60,000 settlement against News of the World for the false claim.
The scandal still shook his reputation, already battered by his connection to fascism and his tight relationship with the always-controversial Ecclestone. Per the BBC, upon learning of Mosley's death, Ecclestone said it was "like losing a brother."
