Leonardo Del Vecchio Ray Ban

Born in Milan on May 22, 1935, to a poor family, Leonardo Del Vecchio spent part of his youth in an orphanage and began working as a teenager.

With her fourth child living as a street urchin in war-torn Milan in 1942, Grazia Rocco, a widow, made a fateful decision: she appealed to the city's orphanage to take in the seven-year-old, Leonardo Del Vecchio.

The deal will see Luxottica's 81-year old founder, Leonardo Del Vecchio, take a 31 percent stake in the merged group through his family holding Delfin, becoming the biggest shareholder in the company, one of the sources said.

Born in Milan on May 22, 1935, to a poor family, Leonardo Del Vecchio spent part of his youth in an orphanage and began working as a teenager.

With her fourth child living as a street urchin in war-torn Milan in 1942, Grazia Rocco, a widow, made a fateful decision: she appealed to the city's orphanage to take in the seven-year-old, Leonardo Del Vecchio.

The deal will see Luxottica's 81-year old founder, Leonardo Del Vecchio, take a 31 percent stake in the merged group through his family holding Delfin, becoming the biggest shareholder in the company, one of the sources said.