MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Valentin Gapontsev, a Russian and UN businessman from the Forbes list and the co-founder of IPG Photonics, has passed away at the age of 82, Forbes reported on Saturday citing a source close to the family.
The businessman’s son Denis Gapontsev confirmed the sad news.
Over the past few years, Gapontsev had been battling cancer, but the cause of death is not known yet.
Valentin Gapontsev was one of the first entrepreneurs in laser physics and technology, fiber and optoelectronic technology. He was on the Forbes list with a fortune of $2.8 billion.