(Reuters) - Tony Hsieh, former chief executive officer and founder of online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos, died on Friday, the company said in a statement.
The Las Vegas, Nevada-based company did not mention the cause of his death but TechCrunch reported https://tcrn.ch/3mgA9CN, citing a spokesperson for Hsieh, that he died from injuries sustained in a house fire in Connecticut.
In tribute to Hsieh, Governor of Nevada Steve Sisolak said in a post on Twitter, "Tony Hsieh played a pivotal role in helping transform Downtown Las Vegas."
Hsieh retired this past summer after spending 20 years with the company, Zappos CEO Kedar Deshpande said in statement. https://
"The world has lost a tremendous visionary and an incredible human being," Deshpande said.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), which bought Zappos for $1.2 billion in 2009, said "We are deeply saddened to hear of Tony Hsieh's untimely passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. Tony was a visionary leader and innovator who will be greatly missed."