Nintendo President Satoru Iwata dies at 55

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away Saturday, the company reported.

Iwata was appointed director at Nintendo June of 2000, and was named CEO 13 years later in the June of 2013.

He was at the forefront of Nintendo’s efforts to communicate openly and directly with its fans, and became the face of the company through Nintendo Direct presentations.

The video games company announced his death in a short statement on Monday morning. Unfortunately, Mr. Iwata was unable to attend this year’s E3 due to medical complications.

The executive’s health issues had been documented in the past.

Born December 6, 1959, and raised in Japan, Iwata joined Nintendo in the 1980s, working on games including “Balloon Fight“, “EarthBound” and the “Kirby” franchise.

Mr. Iwata is as well known and respected as other Nintendo giants like Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Mr Iwata was the first Nintendo president who was not related to the Yamauchi family that founded the company.