Austrian billionaire dead at 91 two months after marrying sixth wife

Monday, August 12, 2024 - Billionaire businessman Richard Lugner died on Monday, August 12, just two months after marrying his sixth wife, Simone Reiländer.

The Austrian entrepreneur, known for paying celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Pamela Anderson thousands of dollars to be his date at lavish events, was 91.

He reportedly passed away at his villa in Vienna, according to multiple outlets.

First responders rushed to Lugner’s mansion on Monday but were unable to revive him, The Sun reported.

Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer mourned Lugner with a touching tribute on Monday, writing on X in a message translated from German to English, “Richard Lugner was a successful entrepreneur and a dazzling personality. An Austrian original who never lost his way. May he rest in peace!”

The late construction tycoon tied the knot with Reiländer, 42, at Vienna City Hall in June.

The couple, who had a 49-year age gap, said “I do” in front of 50 guests and 30 members of the press.

The “House Party” actress alluded to her sex life with Lugner, telling local media after their wedding that they “had a very long wedding night. Longer than the wedding day.”

Lugner was reportedly hospitalized shortly after their nuptials after experiencing crippling back pain, The Sun reported on June 21. He blamed the injury on his exercise bike and had to get daily numbing injections from a pain therapy specialist.

His health continued to decline on July 12 when he was rushed to the Vienna General Hospital due to a ruptured heart valve.

After the health scare, Lugner revealed that his funeral arrangements had been planned and his tombstone was already ordered.

“I wanted to have everything arranged. My heirs should know what to do,” he told reporters at the time.

Lugner recently revealed that Reiländer had fully taken over his business operations.

“My wife wears the pants now. She should support me actively. From now on, we will share my work,” he said, calling her the “sole boss” of his empire.

Lugner’s career took off after he opened Lugner City, the seventh-largest shopping centre in Austria, in 1990 and continued to expand his business from there. He also attempted to run for Austrian president in 1998 and again in 2016.

The high society figure was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016 and underwent radiotherapy to beat the illness in 2017.

Three years later, he was diagnosed with skin cancer and after removing it through surgery, his cancer returned in 2021, leading to another surgical removal.