PAUL G. ALLEN, co-founder of Microsoft, died on Monday afternoon in
Seattle from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a statement from
his family said. He was 65.
Two weeks ago, Allen had tweeted that the illness, with which he was
initially diagnosed in 2009, had returned. “I’ve begun treatment & my
doctors are optimistic that I will see a good result. Appreciate the
support I’ve received & count on it as I fight this challenge,” he
wrote.
Allen was the owner of the Seattle Seahawks football team and the
Portland Trailblazers basketball team; he was also a part-owner of the
Seattle Sounders soccer team. In addition, he founded Seattle’s Museum
of Pop Culture, and was the founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc., which
managed his various business and charity efforts.
Allen and BILL GATES founded Microsoft in 1975. Allen’s net worth, which
included some 100 million share of Microsoft, was estimated at over $20
billion dollars. He gave over two billion dollars over his lifetime to
charitable causes such as environmental conservation, the arts and
education.
In a statement, Microsoft Microsoft CEO SATYA NADELLA said, in part,
“Paul Allen’s contributions to our company, our industry and to our
community are indispensable. As a co-founder of Microsoft, in his own
quiet and persistent way, he created magical products, experiences and
institutions, and in doing so, he changed the world.”
Allen never married and had no children.
