Lord Forte, the father of European hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, died in his sleep at 2 a.m. EST Wednesday morning. He was 98 years old. A company spokesperson noted Lord Forte passed away peacefully at his home in London. Lord Forte was knighted in 1970 for his charity work and in 1982 he was awarded a life peerage as Baron Forte, of Ripley in the County of Surrey. He handed down the company he established, Forte Holdings, which included hotels and catering businesses, to Sir Rocco in 1982. Rocco Forte Hotels currently has properties Los Angeles, New York, London, Madrid, Moscow, Frankfurt and Rome. According to the company's web site, Sir Rocco Forte personally overseas the management team at London headquarters.
