New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- Simone Tata, 95, mother of Noel Tata and stepmother of former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, passed away early Friday.

Tata had been recovering from an illness and was brought to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital earlier this August after receiving initial treatment at King's Hospital in Dubai.

Tata is survived by her son Noel, his wife Aloo Mistry, and grandchildren Neville, Maya and Leah.

Tata leaves behind a strong legacy as a business leader, having guided Lakme through its formative decades before its eventual sale to Hindustan Unilever in the 1990s.

Born Simone Naval Dunoyer in Geneva, Switzerland, she arrived in India as a tourist in 1953. Two years later, in 1955, she married Naval H. Tata and subsequently b...