Mark R. Hughes
| Mark R. Hughes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 1, 1956 La Mirada, California |
| Died | May 21, 2000 (aged 44) Malibu, California |
| Cause of death | Combined drug intoxication |
| Known for | Founding Herbalife |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn Whiting (div.) Angela Mack (m. 1984, div.) Suzan Schroder (m. Sep-1987, div. 1998, 1 son) Darcy LaPier (m. 1999-2000) (his death) |
| Parent(s) | Stuard Hartman Jack Reynolds (per Herbalife) Jo Ann Hughes (d. 27-Apr-1975, overdose) |
Mark Reynolds Hughes (January 1, 1956 – May 21, 2000) was an American businessman who was the founder, chairman and CEO of Herbalife International Ltd, a multi-level marketing company that was ordered to restructure by the FTC in 2016 citing "unfair and deceptive practices". Hughes was born in California in 1956. He died at 44 years old after accidentally ingesting a toxic combination of alcohol and doxepin in his Malibu mansion.
Mark R. Hughes was born in 1956 in Los Angeles County, California to father Stuard Hartman (not "Stuart", per birth certificate) and mother Jo Ann Hughes (d. April 27, 1975). His parents divorced in 1970 and his mother retained custody of Mark. On April 27, 1975, when he was 19 years old, Hughes' mother was found dead in her apartment. According to the autopsy report, several empty vials of prescription drugs were found beside her bed, and her doctor told the coroner she "was known to over-ingest her prescription drugs." Toxicological tests showed potentially lethal levels of the painkiller Darvon in her system. At the time, Mark, a troubled 19-year-old with several drug busts, was staying at a drug institute called CEDU in the San Bernardino Mountains.
In February 1980, aged 24, Hughes founded Los Angeles-based Herbalife International. It has since become one of the world's largest distributors of herbal products through multi-level marketing, with sales of about $3.5 billion in 2007 and 2.1 million Independent Distributors. Now in 91 countries and achieving record retail sales of $7.5 billion in 2013 according to company statements.
In the mid-1980s, Hughes was sued by the Food and Drug Administration, the California attorney general's office, and the state Department of Health, over what they said were false health claims about Herbalife products and the various schemes used to market them. Health agencies accused the company of violating labeling standards and using improper sales practices.
Regulators contended that the company was making medicinal claims. Medicines are regulated by the F.D.A., while nutritional supplements are not. Some health experts doubted the efficacy of Herbalife products, saying that in some instances they relied too heavily on laxatives and caffeine.
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