The well-known Austrian billionaire and entrepreneur Richard Lugner has died at the age of 91, Austrian media reports. Lugner’s name was mainly associated with the annual Viennese ball at the opera, where he invited show business stars from all over the world, the APA agency recalls.
In the past, Lugner invited many celebrities to the most famous Austrian ball, such as Ivana Trump, Claudia Cardinal, Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian or Jane Fonda, who accompanied him for one evening. The opera ball is one of the main social events in Austria with more than 5,000 guests.
Richard Lugner was a man of many faces, the Austrian media remind us, he was a soap opera star, a construction entrepreneur and a presidential candidate. However, many people remembered him above all as an annual visitor to the ball at the opera, where since 1992 he brought bright stars and faded celebrities to his box, writes the APA agency.
But the 91-year-old businessman also tried his hand at politics. Lugner ran twice for the office of Federal President of Austria and at least once with some success. Politically, Lugner belonged more to the right of center. In recent years, he has been associated primarily with the right-wing populist Free Party (FPÖ). This year, he attended the controversial ball of academics with the third chairman of the National Council and former presidential candidate from the FPÖ, Norbert Hofer, APA reminds.
In the shopping center in the 15th district of Vienna, which belonged to Lugner, representatives of all political parties could present themselves, and the so-called “Lugner City” served for many years as the place for the last public appearances of the leading candidates before the Austrian elections.
Richard Lugner’s first political attempt was a presidential candidacy in 1998, where he won 9.9 percent of the vote. He ran again in the 2016 presidential election with 2.3 percent of the votes. Lugner will probably be remembered primarily as a lion of social salons and a successful entrepreneur in the construction industry, writes the APA agency. Richard Lugner was married six times, his last wedding was in June this year.
