Roberto 'Loli' Linguanotto, the Italian pastry chef credited with inventing the iconic tiramisu dessert, died on Sunday aged 81.
Dubbed the 'father of tiramisu', Linguanotto died in Italy after a long battle with an unspecified illness.
The famous pastry chef created the famous dessert in the early 1970s while working at Alle Beccherie, a popular restaurant in Treviso, northern Italy.
The dessert has several origin stories, including one that says Linguanotto accidentally dropped mascarpone into a bowl of sugar and eggs.
According to locals, Linguanotto then perfected the recipe for the coffee-flavored dessert with the help of Alba di Pillo-Campeol, wife of Alle Beccherie's owner, Ado Campeol.
Made with just six ingredients, eggs, savoiardi, sugar, mascarpone, coffee and cocoa, the dessert was originally christened 'Tirame Sù'.