Lord Bath, the chatelain of Longleat, has died from coronavirus at the age of 87.
A statement released on the Facebook account of the Longleat safari park announced on Sunday that he had died the previous day at the Royal Bath United Hospital after contracting the virus.
'The family would like to express their great appreciation for the dedicated team of nurses, doctors and other staff who cared so professionally and compassionately for Alexander in these extremely difficult times for everyone,' it read.
His daughter-in-law, Viscountess Weymouth, wrote on Instagram: 'It is with deepest sadness that I share the news that my father-in-law, Lord Bath, has died at the age of 87... we would like to express our great appreciation for the dedicated team of nurses, doctors and other staff who cared so professionally and compassionately for Alexander in these extremely difficult times for everyone.'
Tributes have poured in for the late Lord, often dubbing him 'eccentric' or 'flamboyant'. Piers Morgan, described him as 'one of Britain's most colourful characters,' while Ben Fogle said, 'Devastated to hear the sad passing of Lord Bath. We spent nearly two decades with the eccentric and colourful Lord at Longleat filming Animal Park. He will be missed.'
Alexander George Thynn was born on 6 May 1932 and grew up on the family estate of Longleat in Wiltshire. He was the eldest son and second child of Henry, Viscount Weymouth, the future 6th Marquess of Bath, and his wife, Daphne, the daughter of the 4th Baron Vivian.
The Thynn family has lived on the sprawling Longleat estate since before 1567, when the current house was built. In 1949, it was one of the first stately homes to be opened to the public, and in 1966, its fame increased when it added a 100-acre safari drive with lions.
Alexander was educated at Eton and then Christ College, Oxford, where he chaired the infamous Bullingdon Club. From 1958, he was running the Longleat Estate, and in 1992, he inherited the Marquess title from his father, becoming the 7th Marquess of Bath.
He married his wife, Hungarian actress Anna Gaël, in 1969, but the couple lived separately to each other, and she lived mostly in Paris. Not that he was lonely. He went on to have relationships with multiple women who lived on the Longleat estate with him, who he dubbed, 'wifelets'.
As well as running Longleat, he also dabbled in art, painting hundreds of portraits of his 'wifelets' and even stood for the Liberal Democrats in the 1974 General Election.
He famously fell out with his son, Caewlin, on his marriage to Emma McQuiston, a British chef and model whose father is from Nigeria, as his wife Anna disagreed with the relationship. The couple attended a different wedding on the day that their son got married.
Eccentrically dressed and standing at 6 foot 5 with long, wiry hair, he was an imposing sight in his later years, and was said to have enjoyed the column inches that came with being a flamboyant aristocrat and safari park owner.
He is survived by his son, Caewlin, who becomes the 8th Marquis of Bath, and his daughter, Lenka, as well as another daughter born in 2000 whose name is not known.
