Few people have had more strings to their bow than Jean-Pierre Van Rossem – a prominent politician, stock market guru, convicted fraudster and one-time F1 franchise owner.
But after spending more than five decades at the top of a wide range of industries and organisations, the Belgian has died at the age of 73.
Mr Van Rossem studied at the University of Gent in the 1960s and made a name for himself in the finance world with his research.
After specialising in econometrics – which combines economics with statistics – he attracted scores of investors to his company Moneytron.
Claiming to have developed an infallible formula to play the stock market and generate endless profit, he raked in billions of pounds and splashed out on luxury cars, castles and even a yacht which came complete with a helipad and 500 magnums of champagne.
At his company’s peak, Mr Van Rossem became the main sponsor of his own racing team, Onyx.
And with his support it was able to graduate from the ranks of Formula 3000 to the upper echelons of Formula 1.
However, his extravagant lifestyle soon came crashing down.
It was discovered that the funds Mr Van Rossem had been entrusted with had disappeared to criminal circles and Swiss bank accounts, and that he had been printing false shares.
And despite being sent behind bars for a short while, he continued to work and started a new career as a writer – with his first title becoming a bestseller.
In 1991 Mr Van Rossem entered the world of politics and started his own party, Rossem.
While he used it as a platform to campaign for “social warriors” and a fairer society, critics theorised that it was also a way for him to gain diplomatic immunity and brush off some of his legal issues.
Mr Van Rossem won 3.2% of the votes, earning him a seat in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and later, another place in the Flemish Parliament.
But things stalled once again in 1995 when he was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud during his time in charge of Moneytron.
More than a decade later, Mr Van Rossem ran for election with this eponymous political party, but only mustered a fraction of the votes he had garnered in the 90s.
Last month he was sentenced to a further two years in prison for forgery, money laundering and fraud, and authorities seized $390,000 (£350,000).
Onyx boss Mike Earle said Mr Van Rossem was “eccentric, but an out-and-out motorsport enthusiast at heart.”
He told Autosport magazine: “It’s sad to hear he has died, because without him we probably wouldn’t have got to F1.
“He was flamboyant and unpredictable, but without doubt highly intelligent and ultimately a nice guy if you sat down with him away from the limelight.”