Abilio Diniz will be veiled in the main hall of Morumbi – 02/19/2024 – Market

Businessman Abilio Diniz will be mourned this Monday (19) in a ceremony in the main hall of the Cícero Pompeu de Toledo stadium, Morumbi, in the west zone of the capital of São Paulo.

The ceremony will be open to the public, from 11 am to 3 pm, and the burial will be reserved for family members only.

A fan of São Paulo Futebol Clube, Diniz died on Sunday night, aged 87, a victim of respiratory failure due to pneumonitis.

The businessman, who propelled Grupo Pão de Açúcar into a retail giant alongside his father, was considered one of the greatest leaders in the Brazilian corporate world.

He began to feel ill during a trip to Aspen, Colorado, United States, and had to return to Brazil in a hurry on a plane adapted with an ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Diniz had been admitted to Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in São Paulo, since the end of January.

“It is with extreme regret that the Diniz family announces the death of Abilio Diniz at the age of 87 this Sunday, February 18, 2024, victim of respiratory failure due to pneumonitis. The businessman leaves five children, wife, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and will meet his son João Paulo, who passed away in 2022. The family is grateful for all the messages of support and affection”, says the note released by the family.

The death comes a year and a half after Abilio lost his son, João Paulo Diniz, at the age of 58, after a sudden illness. At the time, the businessman said that the loss was the hardest blow he could receive. “I’m floored,” he said in a social media post. “The pain I feel is inexplicable.”

Abilio Diniz built an empire in retail. With Pão de Açúcar, he became one of the richest men in the country, personifying a successful era of family businesses with influence in governments. He saw up close crises in his business, faced a fierce family dispute and a kidnapping.