Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies of cancer at 65

Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, has passed away after a two-week battle with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Allen announced in early October that the cancer of the lymphatic system, for which he was treated in 2009, had returned. He wrote that the doctors were optimistic and that he intended to fight the disease. He passed away in Seattle on Monday afternoon, his investment firm Vulcan confirmed in a statement.

“My brother was a remarkable individual on every level,” his sister Jody Allen said in a statement on behalf of his family. “He was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend.”

“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,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Allen co-founded Microsoft with Gates in 1975, but left the company - with his shares - in 1983, when he was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He went on to establish Vulcan, purchase several sports teams, and fund the SpaceShip One commercial spacecraft.

He was owner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, and part-owner of the MLS team Seattle Sounders FC. He was also a patron of arts and education.

In recent years, Allen organized undersea expeditions that discovered the wrecks of World War II warships HMS Hood, USS Lexington, IJN Musashi and USS Indianapolis, among others.

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