Former Nintendo President passes away
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Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's third president from 1949 until 2002, has died at age 85 on September 19, 2013 after suffering complications with pneumonia.
He is survived by his three children.
Yamauchi took over as a president of Nintendo after his grandfather suffered a stroke and later died in 1949. Yamauchi was an avid gambler, poker player, and later, console manufacturer. He stepped down as president in 2002, succeeded by current Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. He continued to work on the board until June 29, 2005 when he stepped down due to his age.
Yamauchi was known as an icon of the company during his days a president; during his presidency, he and Nintendo produced the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube. He also became the majority owner of the Seattle Mariners baseball team in 1992, which is now managed by former Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln.
As of March 2012, Yamauchi was the 12th richest person in Japan and 491st richest in the world, having a net worth of approximately $2.5 billion.