NOORDWIJK, Netherlands — Alfred Henry "Freddy" Heineken, who helped make his namesake beer one of the world's most popular brands, has died. He was 78.
The former head of the world's third biggest brewer, Heineken NV, died at his home Thursday in the seaside town of Noordwijk, the company said. Survivors include his wife, a daughter and son-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Heineken NV didn't reveal the cause of death, but said the former chief executive's funeral will be private. No date for the service was announced.
Heineken's family will retain his controlling stake in the brewer, which trails only Anheuser Busch and Interbrew in terms of size.
"With the death of Freddy Heineken, a unique man left us," said Heineken chief executive Karel Vuursteen in a written statement.
Heineken started his career at the company in June 1942 as an 18-year-old. The brewery was founded by his grandfather, Gerard Adriaan Heineken, in 1864.
In 1946 he became a sales manager at the company's U.S. distributor.
During his two year-stay in the United States, he became intrigued by marketing and advertising and returned to the company's headquarters in Europe to build the beer as a premium brand.
He designed the famous green bottle and the logo with the red star and the graceful black banner bearing the brand name.
And it worked. Heineken's green bottles were more expensive than the alternative, but it didn't hurt their popularity.
Heineken became a member of the brewery's management board in 1964 and served as CEO from 1971 to 1989. He was also the head of Heineken Holding NV.
Heineken retired as the head of the holding company in November 2001.
Heineken was the richest man in the country with an estimated fortune of more than $3.6 billion, but that made him the target of criminals. In 1983, Heineken was abducted for three weeks, before being released unharmed. The experience stayed with him.
After that, he only appeared in public when he really had to.