Austria's richest man dies aged 79

Austrian industrialist and billionaire Friedrich Karl Flick has died at the age of 79, Austrian media reported today.

Flick, deemed Austria’s richest man with a personal fortune of €6bn, died late yesterday at this home on Lake Woerther in Carinthia, the Austria Press Agency reported, citing his investment manager, Joerg Andreas Loehr.

Flick died of a “serious illness”, APA reported.

Flick was born in Berlin, Germany, but became an Austrian citizen in 1958.

His fortune is estimated at about six billion euros. He was the owner of Austria’s largest forest holding.

Last month, Flick was admitted to a clinic in Munich, but speculation that he was in critical condition could not be confirmed at the time.