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Tributes have been paid to a Lego boss and close friend of the Danish royal family who was killed in a skiing accident in Switzerland.
Michael Halbye, 64, was skiing in the Verbier region on Saturday when he fell off piste and was injured. In a statement the company that owns Lego, Kirkbi, said Mr Halbye was immediately airlifted to hospital but he died from internal bleeding shortly afterwards.
Queen Mary of Denmark issued a statement paying tribute to her friend after his death on 12 April.
"I have received with great sadness the news of Michael Halbye's sudden death,” she wrote on the Mary Fonden website. “Michael Halbye was a man who possessed a rare positive energy, extensive knowledge and a strong commitment to making a difference for those outside the community. He was also my friend, and he will be missed by many. My thoughts go out to his family and close friends."
Mr Halbye had been a board member of Queen Mary’s Foundation for more than 17 years, and Bild reported that he had become a close friend of the Queen and her husband, King Frederik.
He had been a vice-chair at Kirkbi since 2022 and joined its board of directors in 2020. Chair Thomas Kirk Kristiansen said in a statement that Mr Halbye had been a “close, trusted partner” for the company’s owning family and for Kirkbi’s management.
"It is with great sadness that we received the news of Michael's sudden passing. Our thoughts and care go to Michael's family and loved ones, who are now faced with having to process the unexpected loss of a man who in all facets of life has left a great and positive impression on those around him,” Mr Kristiansen said.
“We will miss Michael as Vice Chairman but first and foremost as a person. May his memory be honored."
Lego trainer Michel Knecht shared an image of a black Lego piece on LinkedIn, with the writing “R.I.P Michael Halbye”.
“The whole Lego family mourns Michael Halbye,” Mr Knecht wrote.
Mr Halbye’s death while skiing in Switzerland came the day after a British man was killed falling off-piste in the Swiss Alps.
The 54-year-old fell was skiing on the 6,800-foot-high Kleine Scheidegg pass in Grindelwald on Friday morning, and was killed after he veered off course and fell into a stream connected to the Rychenbach Falls.
