Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
Date of birth	4 April 1958(1958-04-04)
Place of birth	Bangkok, Thailand
Date of death	27 October 2018(2018-10-27) (aged 60)
Place of death	Leicester, England
Occupation(s)	Owner & chairman of Leicester City
Children	4

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (4 April 1958 – 27 October 2018) was a Thai billionaire businessman and the founder, owner and chairman of King Power Duty Free. He was also the owner of Premier League football club Leicester City from 2010 until his death in a 2018 helicopter accident.

Career

Srivaddhanaprabha was the founder and CEO of King Power Duty Free, an operator of duty-free shops. In December 2009, King Power received the royal warrant from the King of Thailand in a ceremony attended by Raksriaksorn. He was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 7th richest man in Thailand, reportedly worth US$3.3 billion.

In August 2010, the Asia Football Investments consortium including Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt purchased English Football League Championship club Leicester City. He succeeded Milan Mandarić as chairman of the club in February 2011 while continuing as owner, and Aiyawatt became the vice chairman. In July 2011, the club's formerly named Walkers Stadium was renamed the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City went on to win the 2015–16 Premier League title. Shortly before the 2016–17 season, Srivaddhanaprabha gifted 19 players a BMW i8—at £100,000 each—as a gift for winning the title.

In May 2017, he bought his second football club, OH Leuven in Belgium.

Polo

In his spare time Srivaddhanaprabha was an avid polo player, and owned the VR Polo Club in Bangkok. He was the president of Ham Polo Club in London from 2008 to 2012.

Personal life

Srivaddhanaprabha was born into a Thai Chinese family. He was married to Aimon Srivaddhanaprabha, with whom he had four children: Voramas, Apichet, Aroonroong, and Aiyawatt. In 2012, the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej bestowed the family the new surname of Srivaddhanaprabha, which means "light of progressive glory". He was awarded an honorary doctorate as a Doctor of Laws by the University of Leicester in 2016.

Death

Main article:2018 Leicester City F.C. helicopter crash

On 27 October 2018, Vichai's AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium shortly after taking off from the pitch. Eyewitnesses described seeing the helicopter spinning before crashing and creating a fireball.= The next day, it was confirmed that Vichai—along with the other three passengers and the pilot—had died in the crash.= Numerous tributes were laid to Vichai outside the King Power Stadium by players along with fans of Leicester City and other football clubs.= In accordance with Thai burial customs, Vichai's funeral is scheduled to last for eight days, beginning on 3 November.=