“Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth”, reads a statement from the publisher.
Iwata had spent the last couple of years battling the growth discovered on his bile duct, which resulted in his absence at last year’s E3.
Iwata started at Nintendo in the 1980’s as a programmer and was appointed Nintendo President in May 2002. Iwata was responsible for the Game Cube and Wii U consoles.
Our condolences go to Iwata’s family and to the whole Nintendo tribe.