Tony Hsieh, the “visual” developer of online shoe retailer Zappos who led the transformation in downtown Las Vegas in recent years, died at the age of 46.

According to his lawyer Puoy Premsrirut, Hsieh was injured in a house fire in Connecticut while visiting relatives on Thanksgiving. He died on Friday “peacefully and surrounded by family,” according to a statement released by DTP Companies, the organization he founded in 2012 as an umbrella activation program.

DTP spokeswoman Megan Fazio did not give any further details of the incident, but praised Hesse, who retired from Zappos in August after 21 years as its CEO.

“Tony’s kindness and generosity affected the lives of everyone around him and lit the world forever,” the statement said. “Achieving happiness It was always his motto, so instead of mourning his move, we ask you to join us in celebrating his life. “

Born in Illinois to Taiwanese parents, Hsieh was an internet pioneer, developing a banner advertising company in 1996 after graduating from Harvard with a degree in computer science.

The LinkExchange sale to Microsoft allowed him to become a venture capitalist for tech startups, including Zappos, which he and his Harvard colleague Alfred Lynn turned from a small company selling shoes online to A $ 1.2 billion company By the time Amazon acquires it in 2019.

Hsieh remained CEO for another year, but his passion lay elsewhere, particularly the efforts to transform downtown Las Vegas into a sophisticated 21st-century city at the heart of the technological revolution.

He invested $ 350 million of his money in DTP companies, which in turn attracted a wealth of entertainment, dining, and housing ventures to previously dilapidated areas of the city.

“In support of his city and the people within it, Tony Hsieh has transformed the landscape of Downtown Las Vegas,” Hotel Manager Derek Stevens He said on Twitter.

“Our society will miss him a lot, rest in peace. I will miss him a lot.”

Skateboarding star Tony Hawk who has also become a pioneering investor has launched Hsieh “The True Pioneer”.

“[He] He was a visionary. He was generous with his time and ready to share his valuable experience with anyone. And it was so cool, ” Hook Books.

Hsieh, who relocated Zappos to Nevada in 2013, primarily resided in downtown Las Vegas, and owned a rustic escape in the Southern Highlands development south of the city that is popular with celebrities and sports professionals.

His 2010 book, Delivering Happiness spent more than half a year on the New York Times bestseller list.