Michele Ferrero

Died: February 14, 2015.

Michele Ferrero, who has died aged 89 after months of illness, was Italy's richest man and the owner of a global chocolate and confectionery empire.

His company was responsible for the chocolate-hazelnut Nutella spread, Ferrero Rocher pralines, Kinder eggs and Tic Tac sweets and was responsible for turning a provincial chocolate factory into what is widely seen as Italy's most valuable privately-owned company.

Until a few years ago, he commuted by helicopter every day from his Monte Carlo villa to company headquarters in Alba, northwest Italy, to taste and help design new products.

He never let outsiders buy into the company, which his father set up in 1946. The group, which toyed with the idea of making a bid for its British rival Cadbury a few years ago, is present in 53 countries.

Forbes magazine described Ferrero as the richest candyman on the planet, putting him and his family in 30th place on their list of the world's wealthiest people, with a net worth of £15billion.

His death opens the question of succession and potential tie-ups at the family-controlled Ferrero group, which has sales of around £5.8billion and continued to grow through Italy's longest recession since the Second World War.

Michele Ferrero's father Pietro opened his first chocolate laboratory in Alba, in Italy's northwest Piemonte region, in 1942, and started making Nutella when cocoa was still rationed during the Second World War. The business passed to Michele upon Pietro's death in 1949.

Ferrero went on to develop Kinder chocolates in 1968, Tic Tacs a year later and Ferrero Rocher in 1982. Eventually, he introduced the Ferrero Rocher chocolates in Europe and by 1985 began selling them in the United States. They became particularly famous in the UK because of the ambassador's reception advert featuring the phrase "Ambassador, with these Rocher, you're really spoiling us". It was widely ridiculed but helped fuel huge sales.

By 1997, Ferrero handed over the running of the company to his two sons, Pietro and Giovanni. Pietro Ferrero died in 2011 of a cardiac arrest, leaving Giovanni the sole chief executive.

In late 2013, Giovanni denied suggestions that the company had been approached by the Swiss-based multinational Nestle, saying Ferrero was not for sale. But industry insiders say he is less interested than his brother was in running the company.

Ferrero senior was a man of few words who avoided publicity, turning a local business from the Piedmont region into a global giant. He had a reputation as a forceful leader, but also as one who maintained generous working conditions and gave back to his community.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella praised Ferrero as one of the leaders of Italian industry, "always ahead of his time thanks to innovative products and his tenacious work and reserved character."

Survivors include his wife, Maria Franca, and son Giovanni.