Comcast founder Ralph Roberts died Thursday night of natural causes, the company announced Friday morning.
Roberts founded Comcast in 1963 after buying a small cable concern in Tupelo, Mississippi which had just 1,200 subscribers at the time. Over the years he helped transform Comcast into the world’s largest media company, which provides television and Internet access as well as content through outfits like NBCUniversal.
According to the his company biography, before founding Comcast, “Ralph was President and CEO of Pioneer Industries, a leading men’s clothing accessories company, Vice President of Muzak Corporation, and an account executive with Aitken Kynett Advertising Agency.”
For more on Comcast, check out Fortune’s recent deep-dive into the firm: How Comcast lost friends, its influence, and the bid for Time Warner Cable