The reaper

October 23, 2007 - 5:01PM
Source: ABC
Colleagues and fellow business people have led the tributes for founder of Crazy John's mobile phone company John Ilhan, who has died of a suspected heart attack in Melbourne, aged 42.

The mobile phone entrepreneur could not be revived when he collapsed during a morning walk near his Melbourne bayside home in Brighton.

His death has shocked those close to the mobile phone pioneer who say he was fit and had no history of heart problems.

Mr Ilhan was worth $300 million after starting the Crazy Johns business in Melbourne in 1991 and expanding it to 120 outlets across Australia to become the country's largest independent phone retailer.

But Crazy Johns managing director Brendan Fleiter says he was more interested in success than money and gave generously to charities.

"People who came to John for help were helped out by him in a very non-public way," he said.

Victorian Premier John Brumby says Mr Ilhan became an Australian self-made success after migrating from Turkey.

"He went to school at Broadmeadows secondary college, then went onto Latrobe University and became a very, very successful individual," he said.

Close friend Eddie McGuire says Mr Ilhan grew into an Australian success story.

"To me John epitomises everything about the migrant success story," Mr McGuire said.

"Turkish boy, lands in Broadmeadows, starts his own business with a shopfront in Brunswick, turns it into a multi-million dollar business.

"But at the same time, while he lives in the big house in Brighton these days, he's always looked after his parents, looked after the community."

Mr Ilhan had been on Business Review Weekly's 'Rich List' since 2004, and ranked 126th this year.

The list's editor John Stensholt says one of the keys to his success was his tireless promotion of the business.

"To get his Crazy John's brand out there he was constantly promoting it, through a whole series of publicity stunts and so on, he really know the value of promoting the brand," he said.

Mr Stensholt says Mr Ilhan's drive would have seen him climb higher on the list of country's wealthiest people.

"John was only 42 and in fact was telling us for the rich list this year about the big expansion plans he had for the Crazy John's business," he said.

"He was talking about expanding it overseas to New Zealand, Europe and Asia, and even said that if the business isn't worth a minimum of at least $500 million in five years time he was going to give up."

John Ilhan is survived by his wife and four children.