He became the 11th Earl of Shaftesbury (retroactively) in 2004, as a result of the discovery of his father's body in 2005 at the bottom of a ravine in Théoule-sur-Mer, on the outskirts of Cannes in the south of France.
The then Lord Ashley technically inherited the earldom immediately upon the death of his father, who was murdered by the brother of his third wife, Jamila M'Barek.
He was reportedly looking forward to getting to grips with the task of managing the family's estates at Wimborne St Giles in Dorset after enjoying a short holiday in the United States where he was visiting his younger brother Nicholas, who worked as a disc jockey in New York City.
The family issued a statement through Sussex Police which said that; The 11th Earl of Shaftesbury died suddenly and unexpectedly on 15 May in New York.
Following some press speculation, the family is keen to stress that there is every reason to believe that Lord Shaftesbury died of natural causes.