Dietrich Mateschitz, creator and owner of Red Bull, passes away

Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder and owner of Red Bull, has died at the age of 78 after a terminal illness that had kept him out of public life since 2019.

Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz passes away

It was in 1982 when Dietrich Mateschitz discovered during a trip to Asia a drink that was able to overcome the effects of jet lag. That drink was Krating Daeng and its creator was the Thai Chaleo Yoovidhya. In 1984, Mateschitz teamed up with Yoovidhya to found Red Bull.

Red Bull is currently the world's best-selling energy drink and an empire has grown up around the brand associated with all kinds of sports in which Red Bull has been directly involved.

Forbes magazine ranked Dietrich Mateschitz 51st on its popular list of billionaires, with an estimated fortune of 27.4 billion euros.

Mountain biking owes Red Bull the creation of unique events such as the recently celebrated Red Bull Rampage, the most important freeride event in the world. The brand has also been instrumental in boosting the XCO and DH World Cup, as since 2012 it has taken the reins of its broadcasting and diffusion, always free to air and free of charge.