Business tycoon Tony O’Reilly, aged 88, passed away on Saturday in St Vincent’s hospital, Dublin following a brief ailment. Known as the ‘Golden Boy’ in the field of Irish business, O’Reilly gained initial fame as a rugby champion prior to gaining immense wealth from Heinz and Independent News & Media, outstripping his contemporaries.
O’Reilly wielded his fortune derived from his position as CEO and chairman of the US food conglomerate to inject capital into several Irish establishments, notably Waterford Glass and the Independent group. However, the financial failures experienced by these Irish businesses triggered a subsequent depletion of O’Reilly’s wealth in his later years.