Sir Christopher Ondaatje: key obituary facts
Is Sir Christopher Ondaatje dead? Yes. Sir Christopher Ondaatje died on July 20, 2026, at age 93.
Cause of death: Sir Christopher Ondaatje's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Sir Christopher Ondaatje known for?
He was a Businessman, philanthropist, adventurer, writer.
More about Sir Christopher Ondaatje
Born: 22 February 1933.
Place of birth: Kandy.
Gender: male.
Occupation: writer, businessperson, bobsledder, financial broker, collector.
Nationality: Canada.
Education: Blundell's School.
Awards: Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of Canada, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Knight Bachelor.
Also known as: Sir Philip Christopher Ondaatje, Chris Ondaatje.
Sir Christopher Ondaatje, the Sri Lankan-born Canadian–English businessman, philanthropist and Olympic bobsledder, died on July 20, 2026, aged 93.
Born Philip Christopher Ondaatje in Kandy, Ceylon, on February 22, 1933, he later studied at Blundell’s School in the United Kingdom before emigrating to Canada in 1956 with little money. He went on to build a career in finance and publishing, becoming a stockbroker and a founding member of Loewen Ondaatje McCutcheon, and later establishing Pagurian Press, which he sold to the Bronfman family.
Ondaatje also represented Canada in bobsledding at the 1964 Winter Olympics and was known as an adventurer and writer. He was the older brother of novelist Michael Ondaatje.