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French billionaire Olivier Dassault died Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, and President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the 69-year-old conservative politician.
Dassault was the eldest son of the late French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose namesake Dassault Aviation builds the Rafale warplanes and owns the newspaper Le Figaro.
“Olivier Dassault loved France. Captain of industry, legislator, local elected official, reserve commander in the air force: during his life, he never stopped serving our country, valuing its assets. His sudden death is a great loss. Thoughts on his family and loved ones, ”Macron said on Twitter.
The private helicopter crashed Sunday afternoon in Normandy, where he has a vacation home, according to a police source. The pilot was also killed.
A legislator of the conservative party Les Républicains since 2002, Dassault was considered the 361st richest man in the world along with his two brothers and sister, with a wealth of about 6,000 million euros inherited mostly from his father, according to the list of rich 2020 Forbes.
He resigned his position on the Dassault board due to his political role to avoid any conflict of interest.
“Great sadness at the news of the sudden passing of Olivier Dassault,” Valérie Pécresse, a conservative politician who is president of the Paris region, said on Twitter.
“A businessman but also a renowned photographer, he had a passion for politics in his blood, rooted in his Oise department. My warm thoughts to his family. “- Reuters
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