Former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne on Life Support, Report Says
Following an embolism during cancer surgery
Fiat Chrysler announced late last week that Sergio Marchionne would be unable to return to his post as CEO. Without elaborating further, the company said that complications he suffered while recovering from surgery had worsened significantly. Now, a new report is claiming that Marchionne had undergone an operation for an invasive shoulder sarcoma and suffered an embolism.
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UPDATE: Sergio Marchionne has passed away. Read about his life and influencehere.
Citing anonymous sources, Italian business websiteLettera43said Marchionne had been diagnosed "long ago" with the malignant form of cancer. The report also said he didn't inform Fiat Chrysler Chairman John Elkann about the severity of his illness. He was having "severe shoulder pain that made arm movements difficult," according to a translation of the Italian report cited byAutomotive News. Sources told the latter publication that Marchionne also had a chronic thyroid condition that he had been taking medications to treat. Before his surgery at the University of Zurich, which took place in late June, Marchionne shared some of the doubts he had about how effective it would prove,Lettera43said.
The cerebral embolism that he suffered during the procedure sent him into a coma,Lettera43says. He has reportedly suffered irreversible damage to his brain function. Doctors say he has no chance of recovery, the report claims, and that they are relying on machines to keep him alive.
Mike Manley, head of Jeep and Ram, has taken over to lead Fiat Chrysler. Marchionne wasn't expected to retire until next year.
FCA declined to comment toMotor Trend.
We hope the situation isn't as dire as the report makes it out to be, but whatever the case, our thoughts are with the Marchionne family in this difficult time. We'll update this post as more details become available.
UPDATE:In an official statement, FCA announced that Sergio Marchionne has passed away. No details on the exact cause of his death were revealed, but John Elkann, chairman of FCA's holding company Exor, had this to say:
"Unfortunately, what we feared has come to pass. Sergio Marchionne, man and friend, is gone. I believe that the best way to honor his memory is to build on the legacy he left us, continuing to develop the human values of responsibility and openness of which he was the most ardent champion. My family and I will be forever grateful for what he has done. Our thoughts are with Manuela, and his sons Alessio and Tyler. I would ask again everyone to respect the privacy of Sergio's family."
We, too, are extremely saddened by the news, and our thoughts continue to be with the Marchionne family. Read our obituary on the man who turned around both Fiat and Chrysler here.
Source: Lettera43 via Automotive News (Subscription required)
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