Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, died on Monday at age 65.
Allen died of complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to a statement from his family.
“My brother was a remarkable individual on every level. While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend,” Jody Allen said in a statement on behalf of Allen’s family.
{mosads}“Paul’s family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern. For all the demands on his schedule, there was always time for family and friends. At this time of loss and grief for us — and so many others — we are profoundly grateful for the care and concern he demonstrated every day,” the statement continued.
Current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called Allen’s contributions “indispensable.”
“I have learned so much from him – his inquisitiveness, curiosity and push for high standards is something that will continue to inspire me and all of us at Microsoft,” Nadella said in a statement.
Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, in Sante Fe, N.M.
He ultimately left the company in 1982 because of health issues, but remained on the company’s board of directors until 2000.
After Microsoft, Allen eventually started Vulcan Inc., a privately held company for his various business holdings in venture capital, sports and philanthropic ventures, which included several museums, the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trailblazers.
He was raised in Seattle and attended the preparatory Lakeside School, where he met Gates.
After attending Washington State University for two years, he dropped out and took a job as a programer at Honeywell in Boston, where he met back up with Gates, who was attending college at Harvard University.
By this year, he had accrued an estimated net worth of $20.2 billion, making him 44th on Forbes’s list of the world’s richest people.
—Updated at 6:39 p.m.