marchionne rescued fiat chrysler spokesman said .
sergio marchionne had a “ serious illness ” lasting more than a year before the longtime fiat chrysler automobiles nv chief died this week , a swiss hospital said thursday , a condition the car maker said it did n’t know about .
due to serious illness , he had been the recipient of recurring treatment for more than a year , " university hospital zurich said in a statement . "
” ... zurich ( reuters ) - fiat chrysler fchi.mi said it knew nothing about the medical condition of sergio marchionne after a swiss hospital said on thursday it had been treating the deceased chief executive for more than a year .
the italian - american auto maker cited medical privacy as the reason why it had “ no knowledge of the facts relating to mr. marchionne had received recurring treatment at its facility .
the company was made aware that mr. marchionne 's family of the serious deterioration in
due to medical privacy , the company had no knowledge of the facts relating to mr. marchionne 's health , " the company said in a statement on thursday . "
“ on friday july 20 , the company was made aware that mr. marchionne had undergone shoulder surgery and released a statement about this , ” the spokesperson said .
he was known for reviving fiat and chrysler and bringing the brands together under one roof .