Thai Police Rule ASOS Co-Founder’s Pattaya Death a Suicide
Thai Police Rule ASOS Co-Founder’s Pattaya Death a Suicide
PATTAYA, May 10, 2026 — Quentin Griffiths, co-founder of British online fashion retailer ASOS, died after falling from the balcony of his 17th-floor penthouse apartment in Pattaya, Thai police said, concluding the businessman took his own life.
Authorities said the 58-year-old fell about 225 feet from the Elysium Residences condominium on Feb. 9. Investigators cited CCTV footage, a locked apartment door and the absence of signs of a struggle in ruling out foul play.
Security footage showed Griffiths arriving at the building carrying a red briefcase after parking his McLaren sports car before taking a lift to his apartment, police said.
A local restaurant owner later told media she heard Griffiths engaged in an angry phone conversation shortly before the incident. The witness, identified only as Kluay, said she heard shouting and repeated profanity at around 8 p.m., followed by several minutes of silence before hearing a scream.
Police superintendent Anek Sathongyu said investigators found no evidence suggesting another person was involved and confirmed the case had been closed.
Photographs from inside the apartment reportedly showed an open balcony door, a wicker chair near the glass railing and a nearly empty bottle of red wine beside a sofa.
Police said Griffiths had been under significant pressure from legal and financial disputes and had reportedly been drinking heavily in the weeks before his death.
At the time, Griffiths was appealing an 18-month prison sentence imposed in October after being convicted of falsifying documents to remove his former wife, Ploy Kringsinthanakun, as a director of a property company.
He was also reportedly facing financial claims from a Chinese businessman linked to the disputed sale of a luxury villa.
Friends described Griffiths as stressed and distracted but said they were shocked by his death. Despite reports portraying him as isolated, acquaintances said he remained closely involved with his two children in Thailand.
Following his death, Thai police also opened an investigation into the disappearance of nearly GBP3 million ($3.8 million) worth of Bitcoin from Griffiths’ cryptocurrency wallet after complaints from his son, Joel Griffiths.
Griffiths co-founded As Seen On Screen in 2000, later rebranding the company as ASOS. The retailer grew into one of Britain’s largest online fashion businesses, serving millions of customers globally.
