Isak Andic, the 71-year-old founder of the Mango fashion empire and one of Catalonia’s wealthiest individuals, died after falling from a cliff near the Montserrat monastery in December 2024. His death, initially treated as accidental, has since sparked a criminal investigation involving his son Jonathan Andic, 45, who was arrested in May on suspicion of pushing his father.
The incident occurred on the Camí de les Feixades, a hiking trail near the Montserrat monastery, a site of religious and cultural significance in Catalonia, Spain. Jonathan Andic was the only witness and told emergency services that his father had fallen down a ravine. Isak Andic fell approximately 100 meters to his death, leading to shock in Catalan high society and the broader Spanish community.
At the time of the incident, Jonathan Andic was vice-chairman of Mango, the global fashion retailer founded by his father in 1984, which has grown to nearly 2,900 stores in 120 countries and annual revenues approaching €3.8 billion. Prior to his arrest, Jonathan was considered a key figure in the company’s leadership.
The local police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, initially closed the case in January 2025, accepting the accidental death explanation. However, questions soon emerged due to inconsistencies in Jonathan’s statements to investigators. Some accounts placed him ahead of his father on the trail, while others described seeing the fall while screaming, leading to the reopening of the investigation. The judge noted these accounts were contradictory and incompatible.
Further examination of the autopsy found injuries inconsistent with a typical accidental fall, including the absence of defensive wounds and a fall pattern suggesting the victim was propelled down the slope. Mountain police also identified a skid mark at the cliff’s edge that they believed was unlikely to be caused by a simple slip.
The investigation has highlighted tensions within the Andic family, particularly regarding the management of Isak Andic’s €4.5 billion fortune. Isak had been planning to transfer much of his wealth into a charitable foundation prior to his death. Accusations have been made regarding the involvement of Maria Julia Lüderwaldt, an unregistered psychotherapist linked to the family, who reportedly sided with Jonathan in a financial dispute. Prosecutors allege that Lüderwaldt pressured Isak to grant a €40 million advance to Jonathan, although the defence contests this, stating the actual amount given was €2 million instead.
Recent developments introduced a new figure, Jo, a British-born assistant to Lüderwaldt who reportedly accompanied Jonathan on a hike along the Montserrat trail a week before Isak’s death as part of an unconventional therapeutic exercise. Jo has informed police that Lüderwaldt instructed Jonathan to place himself and his father in an extreme situation, possibly symbolizing psychological concepts related to the “death of the father.” Prosecutors have not charged Lüderwaldt or suggested the exercise was designed to cause harm.
The case has also revealed familial disputes over Isak Andic’s inheritance. His will divided the bulk of the estate equally among his three children, leaving €5 million to his partner Estefania Knuth. Knuth reportedly rejected this sum, demanding €70 million. In the weeks preceding Jonathan’s arrest, the siblings agreed to a €27 million settlement with her.
Judge Raquel Nieto Galvan has ordered a forensic reconstruction of the fatal fall and continues to examine digital evidence, including communications from a trip Jonathan took to Ecuador, where one of his mobile phones disappeared under unclear circumstances.
With no eyewitness beyond Jonathan, and only circumstantial evidence available, the judicial authorities acknowledge the difficulty in conclusively determining whether Isak Andic’s death was intentional or accidental. The investigation remains ongoing as the Andic family faces significant legal and personal turmoil in the wake of the billionaire’s death.