Ken Hendricks, 66, was checking on construction Thursday night on the roof at his home in the town of Rock when he fell through, Rock County Sheriff’s Department Cmdr. Troy Knudson said.
Hendricks suffered massive head injuries, according to his company, ABC Supply Co.
Hendricks’ wife called authorities and attempted CPR on her husband, Knudson said. Hendricks was taken first to a Beloit hospital and then transferred to Rockford Memorial Hospital in Winnebago County, Illinois.
He was pronounced dead there early Friday morning, Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said. An autopsy was planned for Friday.
Hendricks was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of ABC Supply, which describes itself as the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing. The Beloit-based company does about $3 billion in business a year.
Hendricks had a net worth of $3.5 billion in September, according to Forbes magazine. That made him the country’s 91st-richest person, according to the magazine’s ranking of American billionaires.