Milan - Italian chocolate tycoon Pietro Ferrero, joint chief executive of the Ferrero group which owns Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, has died in an accident in South Africa, a spokesperson for the group said on Monday.
Ferrero, who was 47, was in South Africa "on a business trip", the spokesperson said, without giving any further details about the type of accident.
Ferrero ran the secretive sweets group along with his brother Giovanni.
Their 85-year-old father Michele, Italy's richest man, turned the company into a global leader of the confectionery industry.
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