Bill Gates Sr., the father of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has died. He was 94.
“We will miss him more than we can express right now,” Gates wrote in a tribute to his father on his website. “My dad’s wisdom, generosity, empathy, and humility had a huge influence on people around the world.”
Gates Sr. was born on Nov. 30, 1925, in Bremerton, Wash., and attended the University of Washington. After serving in World War II, he returned home and became a lawyer. He would later help his son develop the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he served as co-chair.
“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would not be what it is today without my dad,” Gates wrote.
“More than anyone else, he shaped the values of the foundation.”
In his tribute, Gates remembered his father’s “quiet influence” on every aspect of his life, saying that his father’s “unconditional” support was one of the reasons he felt comfortable leaving college to develop Microsoft with his business partner, Paul Allen.
In Microsoft’s early days, Gates wrote he would often seek his father’s help with legal matters.
Gates tweeted about his father: “My father was the real Bill Gates”.
My dad was the “real” Bill Gates. He was everything I try to be and I will miss him every day.https://t.co/OnAEsmosNb
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) September 15, 2020
