Theo Albrecht, a billionaire German grocery magnate, noted recluse, and survivor of a bizarre kidnapping, made his mark on the U.S. by operating Trader Joe's, a retail food chain known for the cheerfulness and colorful Hawaiian shirts of its employees. Albrecht's expansion of the no-frills Aldi Group stores made him Germany's third-richest man. He died on July 24 at 88.

Little is known about Albrecht or his 90-year-old brother, Karl, who together presided over a global grocery empire with roots in Germany's industrial Ruhr Valley. Aldi had revenue last year of â?¬53 billion $69.9 billion. Their success turned the brothers into two of the wealthiest people in the world. Their combined fortune topped $40 billion in 2010, according to Forbes.