How rich was Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha?

The mastermind owner behind the revival of Leicester City Football club, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, is confirmed dead in a horror crash on Saturday.

At the time of his death, the 60-year-old billionaire was the fifth richest man from Thailand.

VIDEO: Aftermath of Leicester City Football Club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's helicopter crash outside of King Power Stadium on Saturday.

👉 British Soccer Club Owner's Helicopter Crasheshttps://t.co/IKm0zFdMLK pic.twitter.com/vyKZtc3S2J

— The Voice of America (@VOANews) October 29, 2018

According to Forbes, the Leicester City owner had an estimated net worth of $4.9bn. The 60-year-old built his fortune as the owner of King Power, Thailand’s leading operator of duty-free stores. 

King Power really took off in 2006, when it was granted the monopoly at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport under the government of then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a former telecoms tycoon and Manchester City owner.

Vichai later bought Leicester for £39m in 2010 after three years as the club’s shirt sponsor. When his team won the Premier League in 2016, the generous billionaire bought BMW i8s for every member of the squad as a gift.

This is not all. Vichai was also a philanthropist and had donated £2m for a local children’s hospital.

Not many people this know but the Thai billionaire was born under the surname Raksriaksorn. It was only in 2013 that the Thai king bestowed the businessman with the honorary surname, Srivaddhanaprabha, which is only given to citizens who have made significant contributions to the country.

Vichai is survived by his wife Aimon, and four children. His son Aiyawatt is vice-chairman and director of football at the club.