The 87-year-old founder of eyewear company Luxottica, which owns brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Sunglass Hut, and an Italian billionaire, Leonardo Del Vecchio, passed away on Monday.

Del Vecchio, one of five kids born to a poor household in Milan in 1935, saw his mother succumb to widowhood not long after Del Vecchio was born. When Del Vecchio was 7 years old, his mother, who was no longer able to support him, put him to live in an orphanage. Del Vecchio began working at the plant where he lost a portion of his finger when he was 14 years old, but he used the money he made there to pay for design school. At the age of 25, he relocated to Agordo, where the local government offered him a plot of land on which to establish a business.

Del Vecchio spent decades intentionally avoiding the media limelight because he was naturally shy and reclusive.

The mogul was asked how he created his empire during a rare chat with a reporter earlier this year. He declared, "I've always tried to be the best in everything I do. He remarked, "I could never get enough," when asked to sum up the motivation that propelled him to the top.

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