Asia's Richest Woman Dies in Hong Kong

Asia's richest woman has died in Hong Kong little more than a year after winning a six-year battle to keep her missing husband's estate. Nina Wang, estimated to be worth £2.1bn, succumbed to illness aged 69, her personal assistant said yesterday.

Nicknamed "Little Sweetie", Ms Wang rose to prominence after the abduction of her husband, Teddy Wang Teh-huei, in 1990. Despite payment of a hefty ransom he was never seen again. In 1999 he was declared legally dead, sparking a feud over his fortune, including controlling assets in the Chinachem conglomerate.

Ms Wang's lawyer said the couple had enjoyed a fairty tale relationship but her father-in-law, Wang Din-shin, said his son had written Ms Wang out of his will after accusing her of an affair. A lower court ruled that Ms Wang had forged her husband's will and awarded the fortune to the father. But this was overturned in September 2005 when the court of final appeal said Ms Wang was the rightful heir.

Ms Wang was an astute head of the Chinachem group, expanding her husband's company into a business empire that owned more than 200 tower blocks and 400 subsidiaries around the world. In December there were reports that she was seeking treatment for ovarian cancer. Whether she left a will is unclear. Ms Wang was childless, putting her siblings at the front of the queue for her inheritance.