American billionaire and financier Thomas Lee was found dead. He was 78 years old, reports Reuters.

According to The New York Post, Lee committed suicide. The financier's body was found in his office in Manhattan.

Family friend Michael Sitrick said: "While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others' needs before his own."

According to Forbes, Lee's fortune is estimated at $2 billion.