German playboy Gunter Sachs, known for his three-year marriage to actress Brigitte Bardot, killed himself Saturday at his home resort of Gstaad in the Swiss Alps, transmit HuffingtonPost. Sachs was 78 years old and suffering from an incurable degenerative disease.
In a statement released by his family, at his request Sachs, millionaire said he chose to end their life after he concluded that he suffers from a serious degenerative disease that affected his memory and ability to communicate.
"I always did before the great challenges, " Sachs said in statement.
AP wrote that the family did not give details about the location or circumstances of death millionaire, but the weekly Focus reported that Sachs was shot Saturday at his home resort of Gstaad in the Swiss Alps.
Sachs was born in 1932 into a wealthy family of German industrialists. He used his intelligence and wealth to fund a glamorous lifestyle, which has fascinated the German public opinion '60s and '70s.
At that time, German tabloids reporting on his connections with romance and friendships on celebrities such as Andy Warhol.
Sachs has become known as a photographer, documentary filmmaker and art collector.
Swiss magazine Bilanz estimated the value of its assets of $ 340-455 million.
Sachs was married to Brigitte Bardot, between 1966-1969.
The millionaire had three children: Rolf (first marriage), Christian and Alexander (whose mother is the third wife of Sachs, Mirjam Larsson).