Fashion Mogul Syms Dies

U.S. fashion guru SY SYMS has died of heart failure. He was 83.

Syms passed away on Tuesday (17Nov09) in New York, according to his daughter Marcy.

He founded and chaired the U.S. apparel chain SYMS Corp in 1959.

Syms was also a keen philanthropist, establishing The Sy Syms Foundation.

Marcy Syms, who took over the CEO position of the company in 1998, has paid tribute to her dad: “My father had an uncanny talent that made him sensitive to the needs of his customers and the changes in the marketplace… Certainly he was ahead of his time.”

He is survived by his wife, Lynn, four children, two stepchildren and 10 grandchildren.