Nigel Wright, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, has died at age 62

OTTAWA - Nigel Wright, a longtime Canadian businessman and former top aide to prime minister Stephen Harper, has died.

Onex, the private equity firm where Wright worked for nearly three decades, announced his death in a statement on Tuesday. The firm did not provide a cause of death.

Wright was 62.

The firm’s president and CEO Bobby Le Blanc said Wright was a consummate gentleman and will be dearly missed.

“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our cherished colleague and friend, Nigel,” Le Blanc said.

Wright was Harper’s chief of staff from 2011 to 2013.

In a post on social media Tuesday afternoon, Harper said he and his wife Laureen were shocked and heartbroken to hear of Wright’s sudden passing.

“A unique and deeply accomplished person, Nigel combined intellectual acumen w