Freddy Heineken, who made the Dutch beer bearing his name one of the biggest beverage brands in the world, has died.

He was 78 and died at his home in the Netherlands.

Mr Heineken started his career during World War II at the company founded by his grandfather in 1864.

He began building the Heineken brand into a leading global player after working as a company sales manager in post-war America.

He attributed his experience there to the marketing know-how which made Heineken the third-largest brewer in the world.

He was fond of saying that he did not sell beer, but gaiety.

Freddy Heineken was abducted by criminals in 1983 for three weeks - an experience which made him shun most public occasions.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service