R.I.P.

Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh Dies at 46

The entrepreneur was reportedly injured in a house fire.

Tony Hsieh, the co-founder and former CEO of Zappos who is credited with revolutionizing the industry, has died at age 46, a spokesperson confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. An attorney for Hsieh told news outlets that the Las Vegas entrepreneur was injured in a fire in Connecticut, and his company said he died peacefully with his family by his side.

Hsieh co-founded Zappos in 1999 before building it into an empire and ultimately selling it to Amazon in 2009. “Tony’s kindness and generosity touched the lives of everyone around him, and forever brightened the world,” Megan Fazio, a spokeswoman for Hseih’s Las Vegas-focused investment vehicle the Downtown Project, told the Review-Journal. “Delivering happiness was always his mantra, so instead of mourning his transition, we ask you to join us in celebrating his life,” she said in a statement. Hseih’s death sparked an outpouring of tributes, including from Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. “Tony meant so much to Las Vegas, always dreaming, working to inspire and leading others to create a new vision for tomorrow. Our prayers and sympathies to his family,” she said.