While people all over the world were giving their Valentine millions boxes of Ferrero Rocher, Kinder eggs or even decorating desserts with Nutella, the man behind the entire chocolatier brand met his ending, as news of Michele Ferrero's death hit the world on February 14.
Only a few weeks ago, the planet celebrated World Nutella Day, a fan-made holiday to honor the delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread; not long after, the son of the man who invented the brand passed away, and Michele Ferrero's death marked the demise of the richest man in Italy, even surpassing businessman and former president Silvio Berlusconi.
According to NBC News, Michele Ferrero's death happened as the businessman reached 89 years of age, after battling an undisclosed illness for several months, which ultimately took his life last Saturday, when he died in Monte Carlo, the richest candy man on Earth.
CNN reports that it was Michele's father Pietro who turned the pastry shop into a production factory way back in the 40s, and at the time, the Nutella spread was six times less expensive than chocolate, due to the fact that it used hazelnuts to make the chocolate last for longer.
These days, the Ferrero company is being ran by his son Giovanni, though it is unclear where Michele Ferrero's death leaves the estate, as it's a multibillion dollar company - even the Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, offered his condolences.
Michele Ferrero's death makes it basically open season on his fortune and chocolate empire, which owns worldwide popular brands like Kinder Chocolate (from Kinder Eggs to Kinder Bueno), Ferrero Rocher and Nutella, the most famous of the bunch; in all, Ferrero SpA makes the biggest chocolate and confectionary company in the world, and Michele himself had a net worth of $26.5 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.
