Canadian businessman Edgar Bronfman Sr., former president of the Seagram Group and the World Jewish Congress, died Saturday at age 84.

According to the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, the billionaire died surrounded by his loved ones at his residence in New York.

Montreal-born Edgar Bronfman made his fortune by taking over the management of Seagram in 1971, which had been purchased by his father Samuel some forty years earlier and was then the largest distilling company in the world. Under Edgar’s leadership, Seagram made numerous acquisitions and diversified its operations over the years before being entrusted to Edgar Bronfman Jr. in 1994. Seagram was eventually purchased by Vivendi Universal in 2000.

Edgar Bronfman was also chairman of the World Jewish Congress for over 25 years. “He was the first of his kind, an economic giant dedicated exclusively to the encouragement and advancement of the Jewish people,” said Dana Raucher, director of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation.

In 1999, Bill Clinton presented Edgar Bronfman with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. He was rewarded for his fight for the rights of Jews around the world.

In particular, he traveled to Moscow in 1985 to raise the issue with Soviet leaders and to facilitate Jewish emigration.

The World Jewish Congress also took part in efforts to force Swiss banks to return more than $1 billion to the families of Holocaust victims. Edgar Bronfman also led a campaign to track down Nazi criminals hiding around the world.

He was also promoted to the rank of Knight of the French Legion of Honor.

Edgar Bronfman is survived by his wife Jan Aronson, his seven children, his brother Charles Bronfman and his sister Phyllis Lambert.

With information from The Canadian Press and Reuters