One of America's top private equity bosses kills himself aged 58

• Robert McKeon, the boss of Veritas Capital, committed suicide on Monday
• He was found dead at the $5million Connecticut mansion he shared with his wife and children
• McKeon, a Harvard Business School graduate, co-founded Veritas in 1992

One of America’s most highly respected private equity bosses has been found dead after he apparently killing himself.

The death of Robert McKeon, who was in charge of Veritas Capital, was ruled a suicide by a coroner who revealed that the cause of death was ‘asphyxia due to neck compression’.

McKeon's body was discovered at his $5m mansion in Darien, Connecticut, where he lived with his art expert wife and their children.

Mr McKeon, 58, was a well known figure on Wall St who managed the $2bn Veritas fund.

He was also a passionate art collector and a philanthropist who supported a number of charities, including the New York Police & Fire Widows & Children's Benefit Fund.

In a statement Veritas said: ‘Bob was an extraordinary person, a consummate professional, and a cherished friend and colleague.

‘We are all deeply saddened by this tragic loss and have his family in our thoughts.’

Mr McKeon was born to a working class family in the Bronx, New York and was the son of a cake deliveryman.

He went to Fordham University and Harvard Business School before joining now shuttered investment bank First Boston.

He helped found Wasserstein Perella & Co. in 1988 as head of private equity and then later chairman - the company’s successes included turning around cosmetics firm Maybelline.

In 1992, he and legendary Wall St colleagues Joseph Perella and the late Bruce Wasserstein then founded Veritas - with Mr McKeon only in his 30s at the time.

In a profile Crain’s Business said it would be surprised if the ‘boyish-looking’ financier ‘will ever be one of those archetypal, ruthless corporate raiders everybody loves to hate.’

Veritas went on to buy stakes in military and defence companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, but it was not without controversy.

Mr McKeon has been described as a hard-nosed ‘corporate cleaner’ which means he took over troubled companies, removed them from the stock market and implemented painful cuts to make them profitable.

In 1999, a Veritas consultant admitted paying off an official in Connecticut so the company would get approval for an $125million investment.

Despite requests to refund the investment, Mr McKeon refused.