Tuesday 16 October 2018 09:46, UK
Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen died on Monday aged 65 after his latest battle with cancer, his family have confirmed.
Allen, who was an avid sports fan, also owned the Portland Trail Blazers and co-founded US software giant Microsoft with Bill Gates in the 1970s
Earlier this month Allen said the cancer he was treated for in 2009, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, had returned.
Allen's sister Jody said in a statement: "My brother was a remarkable individual on every level. While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend.
"Paul's family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern...
"At this time of loss and grief for us - and so many others - we are profoundly grateful for the care and concern he demonstrated every day."
Allen and Gates founded Microsoft Corp. in 1975. Microsoft's big break came in 1980, when IBM Corp. decided to move into personal computers. IBM asked Microsoft to provide the operating system.
The decision thrust Microsoft onto the throne of technology and the two Seattle natives became billionaires. Both later dedicated themselves to philanthropy.
Over the course several decades, Allen gave more than $2 billion to a wide range of interests, including ocean health, homelessness and advancing scientific research.
