NEW YORK CITY: Richard Snyder, a visionary and imperious executive at Simon & Schuster who presided over the publisher's exponential rise during the second half of the 20th century and helped define an era of consolidation and growing corporate power, has died. He was 90.

Snyder died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his son Matthew Snyder said.'Dick Snyder led Simon & Schuster through some of its most storied and eventful years,' the company said Wednesday in a statement. 'He built Simon & Schuster into one of the largest and most influential publishing companies in the world, known for headline-making nonfiction, best-selling fiction and timeless classics.'