Kopelman’s daughter, Jill Kargman, posted the news of his death on her Instagram account and said the cause of death was pancreatic cancer. American businessman and philanthropist. He served as the President and COO of Chanel from 1986 until 2004, when he retired and was succeeded by former Banana Republic President Maureen Chiquet.

He remained at Chanel as vice chairman of the board until 2008 at the recommendation of Jacques Mouclier, is friends. Arie Kopelman, the former chairman and chief operating officer of Chanel Inc. who was credited with driving the French luxury brand’s massive growth, died Monday night at age 86.

Kopelman was known as a shrewd, hard-boiled businessman, a savvy marketer with a sense of humor. In 1985, the owners of Chanel, Alain Wertheimer and Gérard Wertheimer, hired Kopelman as Chanel Inc.’s president and chief operating officer at their headquarters in New York City. At that point, Kopelman already had a 14-year-long working relationship with Chanel through DDB, where he had crafted advertising campaigns for the brand.