Ferrero CEO dies during city visit
Police believed Pietro Ferrero, who was cycling, had a heart attack. Photo: Michael Walker Police believed Pietro Ferrero, who was cycling, had a heart attack. Photo: Michael Walker
Nurene Jassiem-Marcus, Caryn Dolley and Sapa-AFP
ITALIAN chocolate tycoon Pietro Ferrero has died in Cape Town after an apparent heart attack while cycling. He was 47.
It is understood Ferrero, who was married with three children, was in South Africa on a business trip.
According to police spokesman FC van Wyk, Ferrero was cycling along Victoria Road near Llandudno at 2.57pm when he fell off his bicycle.
“A passer-by stopped to assist him and performed CPR. When ambulance services arrived they declared him dead. It is suspected he died of a heart attack.”
Witnesses said paramedics tried in vain to save Ferrero’s life and motorists parked their vehicles across busy Victoria Road to shield Ferrero and emergency workers from oncoming traffic.
One described the scene as “quite bizarre” as the area around Ferrero was not cordoned off by police. Paramedics and other emergency personnel ushered people away from the scene.
One lane of Victoria Road was closed and traffic to and from Camps Bay came to a standstill.
Ferrero ran the Ferrero group, which owns Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, with his brother Giovanni.
Read the full story in the print edition of the Cape Times