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Germany - One Of World's Richest Man Commits Suicide Amid Financial Crisis |
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Adolf Merckle, one of the world's richest men, has killed himself on a railtrack after losing £1billion
Merckle, 74, was hit by a train in the southwestern town of Ulm, police said.
His family said the economic crisis had "broken" Merckle.
He was number 94 on the Forbes list of the world's richest people. He had fallen from number 44 on the Forbes 2007 rich list as his fortune declined from $12.8 billion to $9.2 billion in 2008.
Merckle's business empire included interests as diverse as cement-maker HeidelbergCement and generic drug-maker Ratiopharm. But he lost hundreds of millions of dollars, including company capital, betting against Volkswagen stock last year.
The state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg rejected his petition for financial assistance, and he entered bailout talks with several German banks.
"The financial troubles of his companies, induced by the international financial crisis and the uncertainty and powerlessness to act independently which the financial problems brought about, broke the passionate family business man, and he took his own life," his family wrote in the news release.
An employee of Germany's railroad company found the body on the tracks at about 7 p.m. Monday and notified authorities. Merckle's family had already reported him missing earlier in the day after he walked out of the house and did not return. Authorities are currently conducting DNA tests to confirm his identity.
A police officer walks near the railway track where Adolf Merckle died
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Read Comments (27) — Post Yours »
1
Jan 06, 2009 at 01:59 PM Kein Yirbu Says:
Germany's wealth is built on Jewish Blood.
Let's hope that many other x-Nazis and those appreciate and admire this bloody country, will all follow his lead.
2
Jan 06, 2009 at 01:52 PM Anonymous Says:
im not judging him but why should any government bail out any body? A person works hard to make money knowing full well that he can lose it al in a whim
3
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:02 PM Anonymous Says:
Probably cooked the books or something and offed himself before he got caught.
4
Jan 06, 2009 at 01:47 PM Anonymous Says:
ohh nabech he was only left with 9.2 bil
how would he face the suermarket next time when he cant pay the bill
5
Jan 06, 2009 at 01:44 PM SAD Says:
Sad and stupid. What did he gain by that?.
6
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:06 PM Anonymous Says:
Hmmm..he was 74 means he was born in 1934 and was probably named Adolf in honor of you know who ymach shmo.
7
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:06 PM Anonymous Says:
According to the Cheshbon he should still be worth a couple of billion dollars,is that a reason to commit suicide?! I'm starting to think maybe rich is something to stay away from!
8
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:52 PM Anonymous Says:
“ According to the Cheshbon he should still be worth a couple of billion dollars,is that a reason to commit suicide?! I'm starting to think maybe rich is something to stay away from! ”
If you need someone to take your wealth away from you, I'll be glad to help.
9
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:43 PM B"H he's not a Jew Says:
What a way to go. Too bad. Sorry, can't dredge up much sympathy.
10
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:41 PM FFB Says:
Will this be reported by some as a car accident as well?
11
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:38 PM Money or Life? Says:
Rich people (and those who envy them) are obsessed with Money and Worship Money as the only meaning and only value of life.
When people get carried away to respect the Rich for their Money, they have no respect for the "person" as a person, they don't respect the "human being" as a person. They respect not the HIM.
Rather they respect "The Money" not the human being.
They don't Love Him. They Love his Money.
So to them human life has no meaning, because a poor person is every bit, just as human, but no one cares about a human life who is poor, right?
It's NOT being human that is important
but "BEING RICH" - admiration of worshiping of Money.
Money Has value.
Human Life (a dime a dozen) has no value and no meaning to them.
Does anyone still wonder why someone with such mentality will want to kill himself, when he finds out that (much of) his money is gone?
Such people see no other purpose to life except to be "a Human Money Machine" and if the Machine fails you throw the machine in the garbage (if it's beyond repair) because it has no further value and no other purpose or reason to exist.
12
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:27 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Hmmm..he was 74 means he was born in 1934 and was probably named Adolf in honor of you know who ymach shmo. ”
That is correct!
good khopp!
13
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:25 PM MURRAY Says:
“ Hmmm..he was 74 means he was born in 1934 and was probably named Adolf in honor of you know who ymach shmo. ”
Is he related to Germany's Prime minister? How do they know it was Not foul play , revenge or a simple accident? Was there a suicide note?, We have bums here in Florida who sleep on tracks (?) every night, get ran over, but it is Not suicide. Also we have elderly same age as this misfit who have alzheimers, they wander off in their pajamas and wind up in one of many canals we have here. They are dead, but Not suicide.
14
Jan 06, 2009 at 02:11 PM Anonymous Says:
“ According to the Cheshbon he should still be worth a couple of billion dollars,is that a reason to commit suicide?! I'm starting to think maybe rich is something to stay away from! ”
oh yah! well said
15
Jan 06, 2009 at 03:14 PM yisroel Says:
“ ohh nabech he was only left with 9.2 bil
how would he face the suermarket next time when he cant pay the bill
”
could not have said it better - was thinking the same way!
16
Jan 06, 2009 at 03:11 PM Anonymous Says:
now he's taking down his shareholders as well.You know the shares will plummet just as Apple does even with fear of Steve Jobs health.
Dittos for Buffet and Gates.
17
Jan 06, 2009 at 03:03 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Germany's wealth is built on Jewish Blood.
Let's hope that many other x-Nazis and those appreciate and admire this bloody country, will all follow his lead. ”
To #1:
Amen!
18
Jan 06, 2009 at 04:46 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Will this be reported by some as a car accident as well? ”
Youre a sick person...
19
Jan 06, 2009 at 05:22 PM POORBut Happy Says:
Was # 44 now # 94 on forbes List..
Should have asked for a BAILOUT from Uncle Sam.....
LOL
20
Jan 06, 2009 at 06:42 PM robroy560 Says:
“ im not judging him but why should any government bail out any body? A person works hard to make money knowing full well that he can lose it al in a whim ”
Excellent post... that's why this country should be renamed Bailoutistan. We have bankruptcy and restructuring rules to clear out the inefficient and allow the efficient to survive.
Are the readers of VIN going to bail me out if my marketing campaign fails? No, I took the risk of opening my own place. Otherwise I could have taken the easy way out by working for another person.
21
Jan 06, 2009 at 06:34 PM Shmilfke Says:
How do we know it wasn't an accidental suicide?
22
Jan 06, 2009 at 08:37 PM abraham Says:
“ Rich people (and those who envy them) are obsessed with Money and Worship Money as the only meaning and only value of life.
When people get carried away to respect the Rich for their Money, they have no respect for the "person" as a person, they don't respect the "human being" as a person. They respect not the HIM.
Rather they respect "The Money" not the human being.
They don't Love Him. They Love his Money.
So to them human life has no meaning, because a poor person is every bit, just as human, but no one cares about a human life who is poor, right?
It's NOT being human that is important
but "BEING RICH" - admiration of worshiping of Money.
Money Has value.
Human Life (a dime a dozen) has no value and no meaning to them.
Does anyone still wonder why someone with such mentality will want to kill himself, when he finds out that (much of) his money is gone?
Such people see no other purpose to life except to be "a Human Money Machine" and if the Machine fails you throw the machine in the garbage (if it's beyond repair) because it has no further value and no other purpose or reason to exist. ”
Very well said, its a misur haskel and a lot to think about. The main think is not to loose ourselves for money
23
Jan 06, 2009 at 09:58 PM lesson Says:
Here we see again in again that money does not make you happy....it only gives you more head ace..these rich people don't have a calm life they can't really enjoy there family they are for ever traviling the world....never home..what do you have from all this?? The people who work hard for there pay check and come home every night to there beautiful family they are the luckiest even they don't have extra money to spend
24
Jan 07, 2009 at 12:15 AM Anonymous Says:
hard to feel bad for anyone named ADOLF
25
Jan 07, 2009 at 03:13 PM Anonymous Says:
btw there is a Jewish name Adolf.. they changed it all to Adler after the war....
26
Jan 07, 2009 at 10:01 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Will this be reported by some as a car accident as well? ”
really uncalled for - you're a pretty mean person
27
Mar 03, 2009 at 11:34 AM Idris Says:
This is a pure madness, i wish this man thought of the people that dont have any savings and yet thanking God 4 sparing their life. Life is all about acquiring riches