Washington reacts to death of Paul Allen at 65

Paul Allen died Monday afternoon from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Seattle, according to a statement posted on Vulcan.com.

Allen, the Microsoft co-founder and owner of the Seattle Seahawks, was 65 years old.

Earlier this month Allen announced that the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that he was treated for in 2009 had returned and he planned to fight it aggressively.

"While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much-loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend," said his sister, Jody Allen, in a statement.

Allen, who was an avid sports fan, owned the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Allen and Gates met while attending a private school in north Seattle. The two friends would later drop out of college to pursue the future they envisioned: A world with a computer in every home.

Gates so strongly believed it that he left Harvard University in his junior year to devote himself full-time to his and Allen's startup, originally called Micro-Soft. Allen spent two years at Washington State University before dropping out as well.

They founded the company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and their first product was a computer language for the Altair hobby-kit personal computer, giving hobbyists a basic way to program and operate the machine.

After Gates and Allen found some success selling their programming language, MS-Basic, the Seattle natives moved their business in 1979 to Bellevue, Washington, not far from its eventual home in Redmond.

Microsoft's big break came in 1980, when IBM Corp. decided to move into personal computers and asked Microsoft to provide the operating system.

Below are reactions from Seattle politicians and community members. 

Microsoft:

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll:

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan:

"Paul was a true son of Seattle who made his beloved city - and our world - a better, more vibrant place. For generations to come, Seattleites and people across our planet will benefit from his vision, innovation, and generosity. He quite literally helped invent the future.

"Paul was a kind, brilliant, and good-hearted man, and a giant of the Northwest. Paul's quest for learning and love for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest knew no bounds. Just like his parents, Paul brought a curiosity and love of knowledge to as many people and as many fields as he could. And whether it was at MoPOP or with the 12's at CenturyLink or through Upstream and so much more, Paul always took the time to make sure we had a lot of fun along the way.

"Today we grieve with Paul's family, friends, and colleagues as they grapple with his passing and honor his incredible, impactful life."

Senator Patty Murray:

Gov. Jay Inslee:

Paul Allen stands as a giant in Washington history for the genius vision that was so important to creating Microsoft with Bill Gates. That he went on to do so much more for our state, nation and the world puts him in rarefied company. Paul was a major philanthropist who believed in giving at home. Seattle is dotted with the results of his philanthropy and investments, from the unbelievable work of the Allen Institute for Brain Science to the preservation of the world-class Cinerama movie theater. He brought us a Super Bowl championship, a reverence for Jimi Hendrix and a vision for Seattle that today is home to some of the world's most innovative biotech research and has been the cradle of the city's economic boom.  He cared about the larger world, too, stepping up to fight Ebola and working to preserve endangered animals. He exposed the dark depths of oceans and pioneered privately funded space flight. There's little in the universe that didn't interest Paul. Paul was a person who pushed so many intellectual envelopes and expanded human knowledge, and his legacy will live beyond bricks and mortar. In so many ways Paul Allen personified Washington state - innovative, caring and always willing to fight for equal rights for all. Trudi and I join people all over the world in sending our thoughts to Paul's family and friends."

Seattle Mariners:

King County Council:

King County Executive Dow Constantine:

It would be difficult to overstate the influence of Paul Allen on our community, and his impact on our collective history. As a high school kid at Lakeside School, Paul mastered the nascent technology of mainframe computers, and went on to lead a revolution. His success made him a member of the elite club of visionaries who truly changed the world, and his passions fueled a second career as one of the greatest philanthropists of all time. He pushed the envelope of brain science, helped protect endangered species, created our popular culture museum, saved our historic Cinerama Theater, created a vast new UW library, and brought us our first NFL championship, among innumerable other contributions large and small. His was truly an epic life. As a region, we are diminished by his passing, but we are inspired by his legacy to discover our own passions, and to share them with the world around us.

Allen Institute:

Paul's vision and insight have been an inspiration to me and to many others both here at the Institute that bears his name, and in the myriad of other areas that made up the fantastic universe of his interests. He will be sorely missed. We honor his legacy today, and every day into the long future of the Allen Institute, by carrying out our mission of tackling the hard problems in bioscience and making a significant difference in our respective fields.

Seattle Sounders:

Tyler Lockett:

Bobby Wagner:

Other reactions from around the country:

NFL:

Portland Trailblazers:

Apple CEO Tim Cook:

Cox Media Group