Reza is survived by his wife Naeema Ali, children Meeran, Sara and Mishaal, who all go by the same name, and three brothers – retired Major Sadaq Ali, former ambassador Taufeeq Ali and Pasha Ali.
Reza was born on April 10, 1940 in Kamila. He was the elder child of his father Tofajal Ali and mother Sara Ali. During Pakistani rule, Tofzal was a minister, ambassador to Egypt, and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Reza studied Political Science at the University of Dhaka. In 1960, he was arrested and jailed for rebelling against the regime of the Ayub Khan government.
He later became the Assistant General Secretary of the Central Committee of the erstwhile Students’ Union formed in the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly.
In 1968, Reza expanded Bitopi Advertising Limited, and the company’s campaigns for contraceptive pills, protection during sex, and Oresline had a profound impact on family planning and public health in nascent Bangladesh.