Horst Dassler Dies; Was Head of Adidas

HERZOGENAURACH, West Germany — Horst Dassler, chairman of the board and part owner of Adidas, one of the world’s largest sporting goods manufacturers, died today. He was 51.

An Adidas spokesman said Dassler died in a clinic in Erlangen after “bravely enduring” the illness that killed him. The spokesman did not identify the illness. Dassler’s father, Adolf (Adi) Dassler, founded Adidas in 1948.