The founder of home furnishings giant IKEA (Stockholm), Ingvar Kamprad, died Saturday at the age of 91 at his home in Smaland, Sweden. According to the company, the founder “died peacefully following a short illness,” reports the Associated Press.
Born in 1926, Kamprad founded the small-scale mail order furniture company at age 17 on his family’s farm in Smaland. Throughout the years, Kamprad has appeared on many lists of the world’s richest men – estimated to be worth anywhere between $100 million and $60 billion – but he never portrayed the image of a “tycoon.” His personal frugality and simple style have remained cornerstones of the retailer’s brand.
"He wanted to appear a man of the people, one of us," Kamprad’s former Executive Assistant Johan Stenebo co-authored in his 1998 book, "The Truth About IKEA.”