Microsoft Co-Founder And Philanthropist Paul Allen Passes Away At The Age Of 65

Paul G. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates before becoming a billionaire philanthropist who invested in conservation, travel, arts and culture, and professional sports, passed away on October 15 at of 65. He died in Seattle from complications of n-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, his company Vulcan Inc. anunced.

Gates said he was heartbroken about loss of one of his “oldest and dearest friends.”

“Personal computing would t have existed without him,” Gates said in a statement.

“But Paul wasn’t content with starting one company. He channeled his intellect and compassion into a second act focused on improving people’s lives and strengning communities in Seattle and around world. He was fond of saying, ‘If it has potential to do good, n we should do it,’” Gates wrote.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nella called Allen’s contributions to company, community, and industry “indispensable.”

“As co-founder of Microsoft, in his own quiet and persistent way, he created magical products, experiences and institutions, and in doing so, he changed world,” Nella wrote on Twitter.

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Allen, an avid sports fan, owned Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks. Over course of several deces, Allen gave more than $2 billion to a wide range of interests, including ocean health, homelessness and vancing scientific research.

“Millions of people were touched by his generosity, his persistence in pursuit of a better world, and his drive to accomplish as much as he could with time and resources at his disposal,” Vulcan CEO Bill Hilf said in a statement.

Allen was on list of America’s wealthiest people who pledged to give away bulk of ir fortunes to charity. “Those fortunate to achieve great wealth should put it to work for good of humanity,” he said.

Allen and Gates met while attending a private school in rth Seattle. two friends would later drop out of college to pursue future y envisioned: A world with a computer in every home. Microsoft’s big break came in 1980 when IBM Corp. decided to move into personal computers and asked Microsoft to provide operating system.

Gates and Allen didn’t invent operating system. To meet IBM’s needs, y spent $50,000 to buy one kwn as QDOS from ar programmer, Tim Paterson. Eventually, product refined by Microsoft — and renamed DOS, for Disk Operating System — became core of IBM PCs and ir clones, catapulting Microsoft into its dominant position in PC industry.

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Allen served as Microsoft’s executive vice president of research and new product development until 1983, when he resigned after being diagsed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“To be 30 years old and have that kind of shock — to face your mortality — really makes you feel like you should do some of things that you haven’t done yet,” Allen said in a 2000 book, “Inside Out: Microsoft in Our Own Words.”

Hollywood actor Leonardo Dicaprio also tweeted: 

Two weeks ago, Allen anunced that n-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that he was treated for in 2009 h returned and he planned to fight it aggressively.

“My bror was a remarkable individual on every level,” his sister Jody Allen said in a statement. “Paul’s family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern,” she ded.

Allen never married or h children. His influence is firmly imprinted on cultural landscape of Seattle and Pacific rthwest, from bright metallic Museum of Pop Culture designed by architect Frank Gehry to computer science center at University of Washington that bears his name.

In 1988 at 35, he bought Portland Trail Blazers professional basketball team. He told Associated Press that “for a true fan of game, this is a dream come true.” He also was a part owner of Seattle Sounders FC, a major league soccer team, and bought Seattle Seahawks. Allen could sometimes be seen at games or chatting in locker room with players.