A wealthy private equity boss behind high street brands like Majestic Wine and Poundstretcher was found dead at his rented London mansion after having ‘screaming match’ with his wife over airline tickets.
Multimillionaire Joshua Pack was discovered by cleaners in a locked top-floor bedroom at the property in St John’s Wood with a ligature around his neck.
The 51-year-old executive whose company is worth $50billion and his childhood sweetheart wife of 28 years, Jacqueline, were in the process of relocating to the UK from their home in the US as he was overseeing the firm’s European expansion.
Jacqueline told an inquest into his death that her husband had been jet-lagged and stressed with work.
The inquest heard they were staying in the rented property a stone’s throw from Primrose Hill while making arrangements to move their household to London.
Mr Pack, co-CEO of the investment giant Fortress – which owns Majestic Wine, Poundstretcher, Punch Pubs and the Curzon cinema chain – was preparing to lead the American fund’s push into Europe; a venture tipped to double its value to $100billion.
In a statement, Mrs Pack said they had a blazing row the evening before his death after ‘drinking on and off throughout the day.’
‘We were high school sweethearts,’ she wrote. ‘Josh was a devout Catholic who worked so hard to support me and the children, the most important thing in his life.
Multimillionaire Joshua Pack (right) was discovered by cleaners in a locked top-floor bedroom at the property in St John’s Wood with a ligature around his neck
The multimillionaire’s wife Jacqueline told an inquest into his death that her husband had been jet lagged and stressed with work
Pictured: The house where Mr Pack was found dead in St John’s Wood
‘But there were tensions, as in any long-term marriage.’
Mrs Pack said that her husband could be ‘impulsive’ and once ‘dramatically’ hurled himself off a Swiss hotel balcony into the snow after they argued.
She went on: ‘We had just moved to London from the States. Both of us were incredibly stressed. There were a lot of problems with the house and nothing seemed to be working.
‘Josh was excited about his new project at work. I didn’t know the details but I knew it was important.’
She said that on the day before his death they had been drinking and a row about plane tickets broke out.
Mr Pack was due to fly back to Dallas on Tuesday but decided to move his flight forward to Monday to travel alongside his wife.
‘When we were walking back to the house, Josh’s PA texted to say that there was a problem with the booking. We had a heated argument,’ Mrs Pack said.
‘We went home, I went to the bathroom to calm down; I took off my make-up.
Mrs Pack said that her husband could be ‘impulsive’ and once ‘dramatically’ hurled himself off a Swiss hotel balcony into the snow after they argued
Mr Pack, co-CEO of the investment giant Fortress was preparing to lead the American fund’s push into Europe; a venture tipped to double its value to $100billion
‘I came out to see Josh lying on the bed. One of his eyes was much darker than the other. He did not look like himself.
‘We quarrelled again. We started screaming at each other. Josh threw my phone across the room and started hitting himself with it.
‘He went to the cupboard and took out a knife. ‘Stick it into me!’ he said.
‘We both said that we would kill ourselves. We’d said it before. I never meant it, and I certainly never thought that Josh meant it.’
Mrs Pack said she went to sleep in another room to calm down.
‘I was not concerned about Josh. We’d fought before. I texted him. He did not respond, but this was nothing unusual,’ she added.
When she got up she didn’t know whether her husband was in the house.
She phoned him, but there was no answer.
However, Mr Pack’s PA told her he had checked in for his flight back to their home in Dallas, Texas.
But she added: ‘There was a bedroom upstairs that was locked; nobody could get into it. I received a message from Josh’s PA saying that Josh had checked in to his flight.
‘I learned later that the airline had done this automatically, but at the time I decided to go straight to the airport.
‘I left a message on the group chat with our driver, housekeepers and other staff and asked them to get into the locked room. I asked them to break down the door if necessary.
‘In the airport lounge, the housekeeper called me. I asked if Josh was dead and she said yes.
‘I collapsed. Josh was my best friend and I don’t believe he would have wanted to end his life.’
In statements taken by police and read out by the coroner, cleaners at the house said they heard the couple ‘rowing all night’ and ‘screaming and swearing at each other’ late into Sunday September 28.
The court heard the final text on Mr Pack’s phone was sent at midnight – a message arranging a pick-up time for the airport the following morning.
Cleaners at the house said they heard the couple ‘rowing all night’ and ‘screaming and swearing at each-other’ late into Sunday September 28
Mrs Pack described her husband as her ‘best friend’. The couple were childhood sweethearts
Household staff started trying to break into the locked room on Monday afternoon.
The room had been locked from the inside and there was no other key.
A locksmith was called but was unable to open the door.
Around 3pm, the group entered the room via a crawl space in an adjacent bathroom.
They found Mr Pack deceased with a ligature around his neck.
Det Sgt Graham Alger attended the scene and reviewed the evidence on Mr Pack’s seized mobile phone.
The detective told Coroner Wilcox that police found ‘no evidence of third-party involvement’ and no evidence that the businessman was planning his own death.
Statements detailing how the housekeeper, driver, and personal assistant had raced to stop Mrs Pack boarding the plane and bring her home were also read aloud.
Mr Pack was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1972 and made his home in Texas.
He met and married his wife at school; he was a star footballer, she was a cheerleader.
Later he attended the United States Airforce Academy and he remained a patron of veterans’ charities throughout his life.
He was described as a loving father to his four children, a scout-camp leader who loved snowboarding, and travelling the world. He had nicknamed his family ‘the Six Pack.’
As co-chief executive of Fortress, together with his partner Drew McKnight, Mr Pack oversaw the firm’s move into Dubai.
He was set to play a key role in Fortress’s European expansion.
Coroner Prof Wilcox at Inner West London Coroner’s Court delivered a conclusion of death by misadventure.
She told the court she was satisfied the ‘incredibly talented’ businessman had ended his own life, but had found insufficient evidence of intent to rule the death a suicide.
Mr Pack was described as a loving father to his four children, a scout-camp leader who loved snowboarding, and travelling the world
‘I take into account the past history of impulsive behaviour, the fact that Joshua was jet-lagged, had got exceptionally upset after an argument, was under stress from the enormous deal at work, and had been drinking,’ she said.
The coroner mentioned that Mr Pack had previously lost his brother to suicide.
An official statement from Fortress said: ‘Everyone at Fortress is grieving the loss of one of our most exceptional leaders.
‘Despite our sorrow, our commitment to our investors remains unwavering.
‘We know the best way to honour Josh’s legacy is to continue safeguarding our investors’ capital with the same focus and discipline that has defined Fortress for more than 25 years.’
