Final Word from Monday, March 29, 2021
Petr Kellner of PPF, the Czech Republic's richest man, survived near-death from prostate cancer (which he successfully kept largely out of the media), only to succumb to a helicopter crash in Alaska at the age of 56. He was a mysterious man who rarely appeared in public, only gave interviews when he had a clear agenda, and could use his wealth to arrange almost anything he needed in the government or private sectors. He even managed to get approval from the U.S. government to buy the largest private Czech television station, TV Nova, while doing energetic business with the government of China. One-man shows always risk falling apart when the patriarch departs, and Kellner's many rivals will now be looking for opportunities. Everyone is curious to see what arrangements he made in advance. No death is timely, but Kellner's is especially untimely and risks bringing a new element of instability to Czech business and politics at a time of great general uncertainty. [Czech Republic CME Central European Media Enterprises ]
Glossary of difficult words
to succumb to - to die from the effect of a disease or injury;
arrangements - a plan or preparation for a future event;
timely - done or occurring at a favorable or useful time; opportune.