Billionaire Dies After Fall at Building Site

Billionaire Ken Hendricks, 66, died today of head injuries after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Hendricks—a high-school dropout who turned ABC Supply Co. into a national building-supply chain—apparently fell through a tarp covering an unfinished portion of an addition to his home, suffering fatal head injuries in a Rockford, Ill., hospital.

The Beloit, Wis., native was worth some $3.5 billion, according to Forbes, which named him the 91st-richest person in the US. He began as a part-time roofer and ended up as Beloit’s “key benefactor,” drawing jobs to the city and supporting the arts. Said an official at Beloit College: "I think probably the most important thing he's done for Beloit is inspire." (More billionaire stories.)