Paul Allen, Co-Founder of Microsoft, Passes Away

Paul Allen passed away on Monday, October 15, 2018, after having battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for several years. He had been receiving treatment for this form of cancer for several years, and though it had gone into remission on previous occasions, this time around Allen succumbed to it. He was 65 years old. His long-time friend and co-Founder of one of the world’s largest software developing firms, Bill Gates said, “I am heartbroken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends.”

Allen had lived a life that saw him pursue his dreams, but also help others realize theirs, delving into development and humanitarian projects that sought to uplift people and places that he was keen on, such as his hometown of Seattle. He also invested in several new technology start-ups, some of which were successful, while giving in to his other passions such as music and sports, buying the Portland Trailblazers and the Seattle Seahawks and setting up a museum that he spent $250 million on in honor of his idol, Jimi Hendrix. Throughout his life, he ended up donating about $1.5 billion to philanthropic causes.

Paul Allen was a visionary, describing laptops and the extent of the Internet and World Wide Web well in advance of their actual coming to be. Still, he did have a falling out with Bill Gates that saw him leave the company that they both started about eight years after they had set it up, in 1983. However, he remained on the board for lot longer, and his own personal passions saw him fight cancer on a few occasions, while making his world and the worlds of others a truly better place.