So that viral story about the Corona founder making everyone in his village rich, sadly, isn’t true
In a sad reminder that we can’t believe everything we read, it turns out the viral story about the Corona founder making everyone in his village rich isn’t true. Although it’s unclear how the rumor about beer tycoon Antonino Fernández originated, numerous print and online outlets were quick to report the story — after all, millions of people are in desperate need of a feel-good tale of kindness right now.
Today, The Local reported that, contrary to multiple articles, Fernández didn't leave $2 million to every resident in his hometown, the Spanish village of Cerezales del Condado.
Lucía Alaejos, communications director for Fundanción Cerezales Antonino y Cinia (a local culture center funded by Fernández), confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the information in the previous reports is incorrect.
However, Fernández did invest a great deal of money in order to improve the village and its residents' quality of life. For example, he restored the local church and brought running water to every home.
In reality, Fernández, who passed away in August at the age of 98, left the bulk of his fortune to the descendants of his 13 siblings.
Even though he didn't make all the residents of his hometown millionaires, the Corona founder was certainly a generous and charitable man who remained dedicated to his village long after he became a billionaire tycoon.
It’s disappointing that this sweet story doesn’t happen to be true, but we shouldn’t let that overshadow all the amazing things Fernández did during his life.
