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Herbalife founder dead at 44

Monday, May 22, 2000 | 11:58 a.m.

MALIBU, Calif. -- Mark Reynolds Hughes, multimillionaire founder of the Herbalife empire of weight loss and nutritional products, has died at age 44.

Hughes was found dead Sunday in his Malibu mansion, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Norine Plett. He died of apparent natural causes but an autopsy will determine the cause of death, she said.

Los Angeles-based Herbalife, which Hughes founded in 1980, sells products in 48 countries, according to its Web site.

It said Hughes was inspired to found the company by the death of his mother from an accidental overdose of prescription diet pills when he was 18. In a message on the site, Hughes wrote, "I've dedicated my life to bringing the finest weight loss, nutritional and personal care products to everyone around the world."

But during the 1980s, Hughes battled the Food and Drug Administration and the California attorney general's office over the way the company's products were marketed.

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