New York, NY

Starr Insurance Companies Chairman and CEO Maurice R. Greenberg has issued a statement on the passing today of former AIG CEO and President Robert “Bob” Benmosche.

“I am very sad to learn of the passing of Bob Benmosche,” Greenberg said. “He was a very good friend, and we knew each other for many years.”

Greenberg knew Benmosche from his successful role as the Chairman, President and CEO of MetLife. Greenberg recommended Benmosche to the New York Federal Reserve as a possible CEO for AIG when the company needed new leadership following the financial crisis. Greenberg even made a personal trip to Croatia, to visit Benmosche in retirement, to persuade him to take the job at AIG.

“I knew then that Bob would do an outstanding job, and that he would be effective in saving AIG. That outcome speaks for itself,” Greenberg said.

“Bob provided for his own successor, all while valiantly fighting cancer,” Greenberg said, referring to Benmosche’s 2010 lung cancer diagnosis. “He was a strong leader, and he worked tirelessly to serve AIG, despite his illness. He was a model of courage for others to see.”

“Bob set an outstanding example in business, and he was a great human being,” Greenberg said. “He will be sorely missed, and our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time.”