Quentin Griffiths Death Shrouded By Mystery, Investigation Underway

Quentin Griffiths, the co-founder of online fashion retailer Asos, was identified as the man who fell to his death from a balcony in Thailand on 9 February, according to authorities. Griffiths fell from the 17th floor of a residential building located in the eastern part of Pattaya, and his body was found directly below the balcony.

According to initial investigations, Griffiths was alone and locked in his room before falling to his death. There were no signs of a break-in and CCTV footage confirmed that no one was present in his room. An autopsy conducted on the entrepreneur's body showed no signs of foul play, according to BBC News.

With foul play being ruled out, the death of the 58-year-old may have been due to stress. Griffiths was dealing with several court cases, including one involving his second wife.

Theft Accusations Prior to Death

Of the lawsuits that Griffiths was facing, it appears that the one involving his Thai ex-wife was the one he couldn't handle. In fact a friend of the deceased said that the Briton was getting worried about the lawsuits he had been receiving from his wife. Thai authorities found documents related to those lawsuits at his flat according to Reuters.

Griffiths was being accused by his ex-wife of stealing money from a business that they were running. The 58-year-old was reportedly accused of stealing from their venture, amounting to roughly £500,000.

The accusation resulted in the arrest of the Asos co-founder last year. Griffiths was released shortly afterwards. However, the probe into the case remained ongoing.

More on Griffths' Asos Venture

It was a tragic end for the fashion mogul who found success co-founding Asos in 2000. Other co-founders of the online fashion giant based in London, UK, included Nick Robertson, Andrew Regan and Deborah Thorpe.

Originally known as As Seen On Screen before later becoming known as Asos, the venture sold fashion-inspired clothing worn by prominent personalities, including the Prince of Wales and Michelle Obama.

The business grew into a £3 billion global empire and was even valued at more than £6 billion at some point. Among the shareholders of the company were Anders Holch Povlsen, owner of Bestseller, and Mike Ashley, owner of Frasers Group.

From Millions to None

After finding his niche in online retailing, Griffiths amassed millions from shares and stocks alone. That was until he overlooked how to deal with tax on sales, blaming Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) accountants for giving him incorrect advice.

That ultimately cost Griffiths millions, with him claiming he lost more than £4 million in tax on sales of more than £10 million worth of shares in Asos and Achica, another online retailer he became part of from 2009 to 2012.

After losing millions, Griffiths migrated to Thailand in 2007. After divorcing his first wife, with whom he had three children, Quentin remarried a Thai woman and had a son and a daughter. That marriage ended several years ago after the two separated.

Potential Suicide Being Investigated

Based on the evidence gathered by authorities, the 58-year-old may have committed suicide, possibly as a result of legal issues and mounting stress that he was facing.

Suicide cases are serious concerns for Britons. In a 2023 report by the Office for National Statistics, men aged 45 to 64 years recorded the highest rates of suicide.

Jumping or lying in front of a moving object was reported as the third most common method used, alongside drowning at 3.7%. The most common suicide methods used were hanging or strangulation (58.8%) and poisoning (19.8%).