Allen passed in Seattle, Washington from complications related to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma two weeks after Allen announced that he was being treated for the disease
“I am heartbroken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Paul Allen,” Microsoft founder Bill Gates said in a statement Monday about his longtime friend’s passing. “Paul was a true partner and dear friend. Personal computing would not have existed without him.”
Paul also bought two professional sports teams: the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, and was involved with both until his death.
“Paul Allen was the ultimate trailblazer,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement, adding that Allen was one of the league’s longest-tenured owners. “He was a valued voice who challenged assumptions and conventional wisdom.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell referred to him as the “driving force” behind keeping the NFL in the Pacific Northwest.In a statement, Goodell said Allen “worked tirelessly alongside our medical advisers to identify new ways to make the game safer and protect our players from unnecessary risk.”
Also known for being a philanthropist–who Forbes says was worth $20.3 billion at the time of his death–Paul Allen donated more than $2 billion to charity throughout his life.
