Businessman Abílio Diniz dies at age 87 in São Paulo

The entrepreneur Abílio Diniz passed away this Sunday (18) at 87 years in São Paulo. He had been hospitalized for about a month in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Israelita Albert Einstein hospital, in the capital of São Paulo. The cause of death was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

The businessman was on vacation in Aspen when he began to experience serious symptoms that required intense medical attention. He was brought back to Brazil on a plane with ICU.

The leader of Pão de Açúcar Group He was responsible for the company’s rise, overcoming challenges including family disputes, financial crises and even a kidnapping. Currently, the businessman was vice-president of the board of directors in Brazil at Carrefour. He also served as chairman of the board of directors of Península Participações, his own family’s investment company.

Abílio Diniz was born in the Paraíso neighborhood, in the South Zone of São Paulo, in December 1936. The first of six children in a family of Portuguese origin, he lived in the back of a grocery store. The history of Pão de Açúcar began in 1948. At just 12 years old, he helped his father open a sweet shop called Pão de Açúcar. He was beginning to build an empire in the food industry. The businessman leaves five children, wife, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP), lamented the businessman’s death. “I lost a friend. The country lost an example of entrepreneur, of competence. He always saw Brazil with optimism, with hope and unbreakable faith in our future. My condolences to family and friends.”

The vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), also lamented the businessman’s death on Instagram and paid condolences to the family. “I received with great sadness the news of the death of Abílio Diniz, one of the greatest Brazilian businessmen. May this example continue to inspire the next generations of entrepreneurs in Brazil. Sending my condolences to his family and friends.”