Rockstar Energy's extravagant billionaire founder Russ Weiner just sold his company to PepsiCo for nearly $4 billion. Here's how the son of a far-right talk show host built a multibillion-dollar energy drink empire.

PepsiCo bought Rockstar Energy Beverages for $3.85 billion, the soft drink giant announced Wednesday .
The deal brings the net worth of Rockstar's billionaire founder, who reportedly owned 85% of the company , to about $4 billion, Forbes estimated.
Weiner is the son of far-right talk radio host and President Trump associate Michael Savage, a connection that has kept some grocery stores from selling Rockstar Energy, The New York Times reported in 2006.
A Miami-area bridge fell on Weiner's 161-foot long yacht, "Rockstar," in 2014.
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Russ Weiner, the extravagant billionaire behind Rockstar Energy Beverages, just sold his business to PepsiCo for $3.85 billion.

For Weiner, who reportedly owned 85% of Rockstar , the deal was the culmination of an "American dream" that began in 2001 when he took a job at a vodka maker after losing a bid for California's State Senate. Weiner mortgaged his condo in the suburbs of San Francisco and relied on help from his family to launch the company and has since built a $4 billion fortune.

A representative for Weiner at PepsiCo did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the sale to Pepsi, Michael Savage's connection to the company, Weiner's net worth, disposition, or career at the company.

Keep reading to learn more about Russ Weiner.

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