Bernie Marcus, the billionaire who cofounded Home Depot and became a Republican megadonor and supporter of civic and political causes in the United States and Israel, has died.

A man of second acts, Marcus started Home Depot after getting fired from another retailer. He then became a philanthropist, a Republican megadonor and an evangelist of capitalism.

In 1978, he came up with the idea of a warehouse-style store that would appeal to the do-it-yourself homeowner. With a partner’s help it became the world’s largest home-improvement retailer.