Urban had been battling the affects of lung cancer, for which he underwent surgery last year.

Together with colleague Helmut Werner, Horst Urban developed proactive strategies to strengthen the tyremaker’s position, including the acquisition of rival brands Semperit and General Tire. During the early 1990s, Urban vigorously resisted a takeover bid for Continental launched by Pirelli.

Following the successful conclusion of this corporate struggle, he tendered his resignation as company CEO in 1991, reportedly due to differences of opinion with supervisory board chairman Dr. Ulrich Weiß. At this time, Weiß also held a position on the board of Deutsche Bank and was, amongst other roles, responsible for the bank’s business in Italy, and was thus considered to possess a more sympathetic view of the Pirelli takeover attempt than Urban.