The president of Nintendo has passed away due to complications related to a bile duct growth the company confirmed in a statement this evening, he was 55.

Satoru Iwata is well known to gamers and shareholders alike as he has been a public face for the company over the past fifteen years. After joining Nintendo in 2000 he became president of Nintendo Co LTD in 2002.

He began his career in software production at HAL Labs where he worked on titles like Balloon Fight, Earthbound and several Kirby titles. During his presidency Nintendo would release their most popular home console to date, the Wii, in 2007 as well as show the world that handheld gaming could work with more than one screen with the release of the Nintendo DS and showcase glasses-free 3D with the 3DS in 2011.

The Big N has always been at the forefront of hardware innovation during Mr.Iwata’s career and he will be missed.