Rosalie Mera, co-founder of Zara and Spain's wealthiest woman, has died at 69 according to The New York Daily News.
Zara's owner Inditex SA issued a statement on Friday announcing Mera's death but did provide any more information. However, Spanish media outlets reported that she passed away after suffering a stroke while vacationing in Menorca on Thursday.
Mera dropped out of school when she was 11 years old to work as a seamstress. She started Zara in 1975 with her husband at the time, Armancio Ortega. He's listed as the world's third-richest person by Forbes.
The couple had originally planned to call the store Zorba after the film "Zorba the Greek" but realized a bar within close proximity had already taken the name. Instead, they settled on Zara -- a fashion empire that grew to 1,763 stores worldwide and a worth of $21 billion.
Zara became successful by offering clothes for low prices that were modeled after expensive, popular fashion. Although it started as a Spanish store, it eventually grew into an international chain.
According to Forbes, Mera's worth at $6.1 billion. The magazine also noted that while she was the 195th richest person, she was number 1 "wealthiest self-made woman."
Though Mera gained fame for her business success, she was also a vocal opponent of abortion restrictions in Spain. She referred to the Spanish law allowing 16-year-olds to receive abortions without parental consent as "just fine" and "should be left as it is," while Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy wanted to limit access to abortions.
She also spoke against economic cuts to education and healthcare. Additionally, she put her money towards charities that funded cancer treatments and created a new fingerprinting system for newborns.
Mera is survived by her two children, Sandra and Marcos.
