EarthLink CEO dead at 49

[helderheid]

Wed Jan 3, 10:43 AM ET

ATLANTA - Garry Betty, the president and chief executive of EarthLink Inc., has died from complications of cancer, the Internet service provider said Wednesday. He was 49.


Betty joined EarthLink in 1996 and oversaw the company's growth from a regional ISP with 500,000 subscribers to a national service provider with more than 5 million. He took a medical leave of absence in November. Atlanta-based EarthLink released no other information on his death.

"Garry was instrumental in building EarthLink into the company it is today," company Chairman Robert M. Kavner said in a statement.

EarthLink said Mike Lunsford will remain interim CEO.

Prior to joining EarthLink, Betty served as CEO of Digital Communications Associates Inc. — and was at the time the youngest CEO of a company listed on the
New York Stock Exchange.

Betty, a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, began his career at IBM Corp., and won the IBM President's Excellence Award in 1982 for his work on the original IBM PC.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_hi_te/obit_betty

[Ezlivin]

1. I don't know about you, but when someone my age or younger dies

It's weird. I kinda feel like I've somehow cheated death.

49. Wow. What a shame.

[madokie]

2. acording to the data the number one killer for us middle upper aged persons is heart attack

and the number one day this happens is mondays and the time is between 4 and 6 in the morning. so when I make it to 6 am on monday I feel like I got the week made.

[valerief]

3. I always get suspicious about powerful dying too young.

If they're people who take money away from other powerful people and then they die too young, I always wonder how "natural" the death was.