The former Dunnes Stores boss and well-known businessman Ben Dunne has died at the age of 74.
Mr Dunne is understood to have died suddenly while on holiday in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
One of Ireland’s most prominent businessmen for decades, best known in recent years for his chain of gyms around the country, he was also well known for playing a key role in the expansion of the Dunnes Stores empire as well as for payments to former Taoiseach Charles Haughey and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry.
Tributes were paid to him by figures including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
The Taoiseach described him as a “pioneer”, who lived a “life less ordinary”.
“I was deeply saddened to hear that Ben Dunne has died,” Mr Varadkar said. "A constituent of mine in Castleknock and a local employer, I met Ben many times. He really was larger than life.
"Among other things, he pioneered the fitness industry in Ireland first with Westpoint and then Ben Dunne Gyms.
He led a life less ordinary and in turn he made some mistakes in life. The best people do. He never allowed that to defeat him or hold him back.
"He touched the lives of tens of thousands who will mourn his loss."
In a post on Twitter/X, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said: “Very sad to hear of the sudden death of Ben Dunne. My thoughts are with his beloved family.
"He was a good man who cared about people. We will never see his likes again. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”
Born in Cork in March 1949, Mr Dunne was the youngest of six children who grew up at Ringmahon House, which had previously been owned by the Murphy's brewery family. His father, Ben Snr, had founded Dunnes Stores after departing Roche's and opened the family's first store on Patrick Street in March 1944.
Veteran Cork photographer Billy MacGill, who was five years ahead of Ben Jnr at Presentation Brothers College in Cork, said that “everybody was larger than life in those days” and out to get one up on the other businesses vying for custom. Ben was “always jolly”, he said.
IRA kidnap
Initially working in the family business, he began to hit the headlines in dramatic fashion starting with his kidnap by the IRA in 1981.
While on a trip to a Dunnes Stores outlet, he was captured by members of the Provisional IRA for seven days.
After the payment of a ransom, he was released.
It was never disclosed how much was handed over to the IRA for the safe return of Mr Dunne, but it was believed to be in the region of €1m.
After the death of his father in 1983 following a heart attack at the age of 76, Mr Dunne took on a leadership role at the company.
Florida controversy
Controversy followed again in the 1990s, with Mr Dunne sparking a media frenzy after being arrested for cocaine possession and soliciting while on a golf trip to Florida in 1992.
The incident caused a rift in the family and lead to his ousting from the Dunnes Stores supermarket empire.
Payments scandal
But the incident which precipitated his departure from Dunnes Stores would have far-reaching political implications, as it led to the unearthing of documents showing his payments to politicians.
This scandal came to the fore after it emerged, after reporting from the journalist Sam Smyth, he had given sums of money to politicians, which it would turn out to include the former Taoiseach Mr Haughey and led to over a decade of scandal at the top of Irish political life.
新的开始
近年来，他拓展了新的业务，包括成功的健身中心连锁，并在非常知名的宣传健身中心的广播广告中发表了自己的声音。他的健身房去年实现了300万欧元的可观运营利润。
邓恩先生身后留下了他的妻子玛丽和四个孩子。
在社交媒体上，他的儿子罗伯特说:“我会想念他，我甚至无法用语言来形容。
我爸爸死了。他心脏病发得很厉害，没能挺过来。就是这么简单。总之，归根结底，他是一个好人，一个正派的人。
在RTÉ的“本周”节目中，记者山姆·史密斯将邓恩家族当时的名声和财富与美国上世纪八九十年代的特朗普家族进行了比较。
他还谈到了邓恩在佛罗里达事件后诚实地描述自己的失败。
史密斯先生写了一本关于本·邓恩的书，《感谢一百万大家伙》，称他是当时这个国家最著名的人。
“他是一个非常有趣的人，因为他可以被描绘成一个恶棍，”他说。
所有的一切都改变了，我认为当他做了一个无拘无束的采访，向他的家人道歉时，人们对他的看法也改变了。
主持人马特·库珀在《新闻之声》的安东·萨维奇秀上说，爱尔兰共和军的绑架“对他的生活产生了巨大影响”，并可能导致他患上创伤后应激障碍。
“他是男性领袖型的，”他说。“他真是个小伙子……他很有趣。他写得很好。
“这就是为什么大量媒体不断转向他。”
库珀还称他是迈克尔·奥利里(Michael O’leary)的早期版本，并表示他的父亲性格强势，他的儿子后来接受了低成本的理念。
莱斯利·巴克利(Leslie Buckley)是INM的前主席，也是慈善机构避风港社区基金会(Haven Community Foundation)的创始人。他回忆道，邓恩曾在一次由乔治·胡克(George Hook)主持的慈善活动上参加小组讨论。
“都是兄弟学院的毕业生，”他说。“我记得他在白宫的日子非常幽默和坦率。我也发现他是一个很容易相处的人。”一个非常好的人。”
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