Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has passed away

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen passed away Monday at age 65. He previously announced that he was suffering from lymphoma. Allen came up with the name Microsoft, among other things, and said he invented the two-button mouse.

Allen died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, his company Vulcan announced. He already suffered from Hodgkin’s disease in 1982, after which he gave up his active role at Microsoft in 1983. Allen had co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. They were childhood friends.

Gates became the face of Microsoft, but he says in a statement to ABC News following the death that the PC would not have existed without Allen. “My heart is broken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends. From our childhood at Lakeside School, through our partnership in the making of Microsoft, and through some of our philanthropic projects over the years, Paul has been a true partner and a dear friend.”

In his autobiography, Allen claimed to be the inventor of the two-button mouse. In the autobiography, he emerged as the originator of ideas for Microsoft such as the name, while Gates was the handy businessman who brought them to market.

After his time at Microsoft, he engaged in philanthropic projects, running sports teams and investing in businesses through his company Vulcan. Among other things, he sponsored the search for extraterrestrial life at Seti and he also founded Stratolaunch to develop spacecraft.

The directors of other tech companies wish family and friends strength with the loss. Including Apple director Tim Cook and Google Director Sundar Pichai call him a pioneer, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos praises his passion for inventions. Paul Allen turned 65 years old.