The death of Mr Gummy Bears: Haribo's Hans Riegel passes away in Germany aged 90

Hans Riegel, who made the sweet maker Haribo and its signature gummy bears a chewy hit for children across the globe, has died. He was 90.

Haribo said in a statement that he died of heart failure in Bonn, where the company is based. He had been recovering from an operation to remove a benign brain tumour.

He was the son of the company founder, also named Hans Riegel, who in 1920 set up Haribo – an acronym for “Hans Riegel Bonn.”

In 1922, his father invented the “dancing bear” made out of fruit gum that laid the foundations for Haribo’s later success.

AP