Sunjay Kapur: Billionaire who generated a buzz both in life and death
For the Daily Mirror, it was Prince William's pal who was no more.
For many news outlets in India, Sunjay Kapur's was the passing away of actresses Karisma Kapoor and Priya Sachdev's husband.
For business journalists, it was the death of a tycoon worth $1.3 billion and whose company supplied key components to Tesla and Jaguar Land Rover.
Put simply, 53-year-old Sunjay, an American national born in Michigan in 1971 to a Punjabi family, had done enough and more to grab headlines before he collapsed unexpectedly on a polo ground in London on June 12, 2025. His death would go on to be made all the more dramatic by the fact that he appeared to have allegedly swallowed a bee moments before his death.
This triggered speculation that the bee had flown into his mouth and stung him, triggering a heart attack. Or was it instead a plain cardiac arrest that claimed his life? A highly sought-after post-mortem, which will provide clarity on the cause of the death, is awaited.
Auto component tycoon whom even Elon Musk needed
Before his untimely death, Kapur was best known for his leadership at Sona BLW Precision Forgings (Sona Comstar).
Sunjay took over the business after the death of his father, Surinder Kapur, the founder of the Gurgaon-headquartered Sona Group in 2015.
Under his guidance, the company expanded its overseas presence and grew into a global supplier for the world's biggest automakers. Even Elon Musk came calling as we had mentioned before.
Sona has 11 manufacturing and assembly plants spread across India, China, Mexico, and the USA. India serves as the manufacturing hub, while the rest are the final assembly and finishing plants.
Kapur, who became the managing director of the company in 2015, spearheaded the expansion into Electric Vehicle (EV) components. In ten years, Sona Comstar has grown into one of world's largest producers of EV traction motor components by volume.
In 2021, he led the company through a successful IPO. Sona, under his leadership, also went on to acquire a 54% stake in Serbia-based Novelic for 40.5 million euro and took over Railway Equipment Division from Escorts Kubota.
Kapur also served as the President of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and played a key role in steering the Indian auto component industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Kapur was hailed as a visionary for driving Sona Comstar's shift toward EV technology, his leadership faced turbulence. Reports cited clashes with board members over strategy, with some stakeholders criticising his aggressive expansion approach.
Tumultuous personal life
But what grabbed the headlines here in India was Kapur's tumultuous personal life, particularly his high-profile divorce from actress Karisma Kapoor.
The businessman was married three times.
He first got into the public eye after tying the knot with Hindi film actress Karisma Kapoor in 2003 in a star-studded ceremony. The couple had two children, Samaira and Kiaan, before they filed for mutual divorce in 2016.
Their separation turned into a sour legal battle, with allegations of infidelity, financial disputes, and custody fights. The hostility between the two families was such that Karisma's father and actor Randhir Kapoor called Sunjay Kapur "a third-class man" and stressed he never wanted his daughter to marry him.
Before Karisma, Sunjay was married to designer Nandita Mahtani.
In 2017, he married former model and actress Priya Sachdev. This marriage also grabbed eyeballs as Priya was earlier married to Vikram Chatwal, the son of Sant Singh Chatwal, an Indian American businessman and founder of the Dream Hotel Group. With Priya, Sunjay has a son, Azarias, and he had also adopted her daughter, Safira Chatwal, from her previous marriage.
In the midst of all this, Kapur also found the energy to indulge his passion for polo—right till the end. He was a known figure in the UK's elite polo circles, and played with Prince William and other members of the British royal family.
It was during a polo appearance in the Cartier Trophy semi-finals at the Guards Polo Club in England that Sunjay reportedly said "I've swallowed something" before falling one last time. His "tireless enthusiasm", as his polo friends put it, will be missed on the grounds and beyond.
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