Quentin Griffiths, the co-founder of online fashion retailer ASOS, died after falling 225ft from the balcony of his 17th-floor penthouse in Pattaya, Thailand, on February 9. Thai police concluded the 58-year-old took his own life, citing CCTV footage, a locked apartment door and no signs of a struggle.
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Griffiths was last seen entering the Elysium Residences building carrying a red briefcase after parking his McLaren supercar in the garage below. Security footage showed him greeting staff normally before taking the lift to his apartment.
A witness has now claimed she heard Griffiths involved in an angry phone argument shortly before his death. Kluay, who owns a sushi restaurant about 50 yards from the building, said she heard shouting and repeated use of the F-word around 8pm.
She said the argument lasted several minutes before silence fell for about five minutes. She then heard Griffiths scream as he fell from the balcony. Kluay later learned the man who died was Griffiths, whom she recognised as the driver of a sports car often seen in the area. She said he always appeared sad when he drove past her restaurant.
Police superintendent Colonel Anek Sathongyu said investigators found no evidence of foul play and have closed the case. Photographs from inside the apartment reportedly showed an open balcony door, a wicker chair positioned near the glass balustrade and a nearly empty bottle of red wine beside a sofa.
The officer said Griffiths had been drinking heavily due to pressure from ongoing legal and personal disputes. He added that police were not investigating the identity of the person involved in the alleged final phone call.
At the time of his death, Griffiths was appealing an 18-month prison sentence handed down in October after he was convicted of falsifying documents to remove his ex-wife, Thai businesswoman Ploy Kringsinthanakun, as a director of a property company. He had reportedly been due to meet her lawyers the following week to discuss a financial settlement of about GBP500,000.
Griffiths was also facing demands from a Chinese businessman linked to the unlawful sale of a villa. According to friends, the businessman was seeking the return of about GBP1 million.
Friends described Griffiths as stressed and drinking heavily in the weeks before his death, but said they were shocked by what happened. One acquaintance recalled meeting him in a Pattaya cafe five days earlier, describing him as distracted and appearing drunk.
Despite reports portraying Griffiths as isolated, friends said he remained closely involved with his two Thai children, aged 12 and 11. He had lived with them, their nanny and Ploy’s aunt in a rented house near Phoenix Country Club south of Pattaya.
He was also building an eight-bedroom villa nearby valued at about GBP6 million. Construction stopped after his death when his eldest UK son Joel Griffiths, reportedly ordered work halted due to a court order.
A Daily Mail reporter later encountered Ploy outside the unfinished property alongside relatives. She denied any involvement in Griffiths’ death and said she was continuing a legal fight to regain custody of their children. Ploy said she had only recently been allowed to hug the children during a court hearing attended by police and lawyers. She said she did not know where they were currently living.
Another mystery emerged after Griffiths’ death when nearly GBP3 million in Bitcoin disappeared from his cryptocurrency wallet in three separate transactions. Thai police are investigating the transfers after a complaint by Joel Griffiths.
Griffiths co-founded As Seen On Screen, later renamed Asos, in 2000. The company became a major global fashion retailer worth billions of pounds, with customers including the Princess of Wales, Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama.
The Daily Mall reported that after selling much of his Asos stake, Griffiths pursued several other ventures including ethical fashion, lingerie retail, pet accessories and grocery delivery businesses. Many later failed or collapsed.
Picture courtesy of Daily Mail
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailymail 10 May 2026