Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh dies at 46

Tony Hsieh

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, 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.

“The world has lost a tremendous visionary and an incredible human being,” Deshpande said.

Amazon.com Inc, 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.”