According to media reports, Red Bull founder and multi-billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz has passed away. An official confirmation is still pending. Mateschitz, however, is said to have been seriously ill for a long time. He has now “lost the battle against a long, serious illness,” the speedweek.com portal reported shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday. In May 2022, Mateschitz celebrated his 78th birthday.
In the area around Mateschitz, concerns about the health of the prominent Styrian have been around for some time. Most recently, the already media-shy entrepreneur had completely withdrawn from the public eye and would not even have been available to his closest associates.
He was last seen in public in the fall of 2021.
Now there is mourning for what is probably Austria’s most successful entrepreneur. The founder of Red Bull was not only the richest Austrian, but also one of the richest people in the world.
Richest Austrian
“Forbes” listed him at number 51 worldwide in April 2022, with a net worth of 27.4 billion euros. He was considered extremely shy of the public and owned an island in the South Pacific, among other things.
From business administrator to “Imperator”
Dietmar “Didi” Mateschitz, born 20 May 1944 in Sankt Marein im Mürztal, graduated from the University of World Trade in Vienna with a degree in business administration and then worked as a sales representative. In 1984, together with the Yoovidhya entrepreneurial family from Thailand, he founded Red Bull GmbH – his tins became world famous.
The energy drink was not his invention, but the fact that the stimulant from Asia became a modern packaged luxury food that was cleverly marketed and conquered the world is undoubtedly to his credit. Mateschitz built a sports, media, real estate and gastronomy empire around his beverage company – helping to revitalize an entire valley in Upper Styria, albeit not without controversy as the “sole ruler” in the region.
patrons and patrons
The down-to-earth billionaire was also considered a patron and co-founded the “Wings for Life” foundation, which aims to make spinal cord injury curable. He also donated €70 million to Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU) in Salzburg for a spinal cord injury research center – one of the largest private donations ever made to a university in Europe.
Even on a small scale, “Didi” was often generous. A boy who – without recognizing him – once played him something on the accordion in a music store, he quickly paid for a new “Styrian”.
Ice cold economist
But the patron and philanthropist also had a second side. Fate sometimes depended on his whims. When ServusTV employees wanted to set up a works council in 2016, Mateschitz wanted to shut down the activities overnight. At that point, 264 employees were suddenly faced with the prospect of losing their jobs – until the boss was persuaded to continue running the station. After broad promises that there would be no works council, mind you.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
