Business · Companies · 10 hrs ago
Del Vecchio heir blames father for drug dependence amid family business dispute
Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, 31, is one of the heirs to a fortune built by his late father, founder of eyewear company Luxottica.
He said he became dependent on sleep medicines and blamed his father for leaving him without love.
Del Vecchio also said he has almost one billion euros in debt, despite his inheritance.
The family fortune is held through Delfin, which owns a major stake in EssilorLuxottica, the company behind Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Family disagreements limit what heirs can do with their shares: major decisions require at least seven of the eight shareholders to agree.
Del Vecchio has criticized EssilorLuxottica chairman Francesco Milleri and resigned from his roles as company chief strategist and Ray-Ban president.
Several court cases over the inheritance are still underway, with some lasting for years.
Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio blamed his late father for his dependence on sleep medication in an interview on rapper Fedez’s Pulp Podcast.
He said his father gave the family everything except love and that he filled the gap with drugs.
The 31-year-old heir also said he had debts of nearly €1 billion and needed money despite his multibillion-euro inheritance.
The dispute concerns the family holding Delfin, which owns a stake of almost one-third in EssilorLuxottica, the world’s largest eyewear maker.
The heirs are in conflict with one another and with management over influence in the holding and whether they can sell their shares.
- Who
- Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, an heir to the fortune of EssilorLuxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio.
- What
- He blamed his late father for his drug dependence and described financial problems amid a family dispute over the inheritance.
- When
- October 2026; the articles were published on October 16.
- Where
- In an interview on Fedez’s Pulp Podcast. The family dispute concerns the holding company Delfin.
- Why
- He said he filled the lack of love from his father with drugs; disagreements among the heirs also limit his influence over the family holding and ability to sell his stake.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
His holding company Delfin passed in equal shares to his seven children and his widow.
The heirs and the management appointed by the founder have been in conflict over the family fortune.
Articles reported Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio’s comments on Fedez’s Pulp Podcast and the family dispute.
- Age
- 31
- Debt
- Nearly €1 billion
- Family holding
- Delfin
- Delfin assets
- About €40 billion
- EssilorLuxottica stake
- Almost one-third
- Threshold for major decisions
- At least 88% of voting rights
2 sources
What people are saying
He has given us everything except love
I filled this gap with drugs