Paul Allen, a Microsoft co-founder and owner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, and MLS’s Seattle Sounders, died Monday at age 65 from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, his sister Jody Allen announced in a statement.
Seahawks and Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has died at age 65
Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
“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. For all the demands on his schedule, there was always time for family and friends. 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 made his fortune when he and Bill Gates founded Microsoft Corporation in 1975. He purchased the Trail Blazers in 1988 and the Seahawks in 1996 — saving the latter from the possibility of a move to Southern California.
Many in the most prominent names in the sports world reacted to the news Monday:
Two weeks before his death, Allen announced that non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a form of cancer that affects white blood cells — had returned nearly a decade after he battled the disease in 2009.
He was first diagnosed with the disease in 1982.
