Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder and music lover dead at 65

Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft (in 1975), died on Monday, October 15.

He was an investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist who influenced many aspects of modern life — from technology and science to sports and music.

Allen was 65 and he died in Seattle from complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma two weeks after Allen said he was being treated for the disease. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, like the less-common Hodgkin's disease, is a cancer of the lymphatic system.

Allen founded Microsoft with Bill Gates: the two had met as fellow students at a private school in Seattle. He left the company in 1982 after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.

Allen was also a music fan and lover. In a 2013 interview with Guitar Player, Allen recalled how listening to "Are You Experienced" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience prompted him to start playing guitar. In 1995, Allen even loaned money to Hendrix's family during a legal battle to regain rights to the guitarist's image and music. He also funded a $100 million museum for music and pop culture in Seattle, now called the Museum of Pop Culture.