Last Saturday the Internet pioneer Ray Tomlinson passed away, possibly due to a heart attack. He was best known for his inventions that created the modern e-mail system.

Raymond Samuel Tomlinson was born on April 23, 1941 in Amsterdam, New York, USA. He earned a Bachelor of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York and a master’s degree in electrical engineering at MIT in 1965. For his contributions to the development of the Internet, over the years, Ray Tomlinson received a number of honors such as the George R. Stibitz Computer Pioneer Award, the Webby Award, the IEEE Internet Award and the Prince of Asturias Award. When the Internet Hall of Fame was opened in 2012 he was one of the first that were inducted in it.