Nobuyuki Idei Cause of Death Tragic: Ex-Sony CEO Dead at 84
Nobuyuki Idei, the famous Sony CEO who led the company for nearly seven years, has died. He was 84.
Multiple news outlets confirmed Idei's sudden passing after the Sony Group Corp. disclosed the news on Tuesday.
Sony Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida called Idei the man who gave useful vision as they prepared the company for the modern age.
"During his seven years as CEO from 1998, Mr. Idei made an immense contribution to Sony's evolution as a global company. In particular, the prescience and foresight with which he predicted the impact of the Internet and engaged proactively with digitalization across Sony amazes me to this day," he said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
A professor at Waseda Business School, Atsushi Osanai, recalled working in Sony's television business. He called Idei a visionary leader who looked beyond the present to prepare the company for the future.
They also confirmed that Nobuyuki Idei's cause of death was due to liver failure. It remains unknown whether the disease suddenly occurred or if he had been enduring it for years.
According to the Liver Foundation, early diagnosis of liver disease is important despite the fact that the liver can repair and regenerate itself. Unfortunately, missing a treatment plan can lead to the progression of liver disease and cause liver failure, cancer, or death.
His colleagues and fans of Sony's inventions immediately paid tribute to him on Twitter.
Nobuyuki Idei's Contributions to Sony
Sony, nowadays, is known for being one of the most popular brands in Japan and the whole world. Although it boasts countless gadgets and machines, the company had humble beginnings when Akio Morita founded the company after World War II.
Along with Masaru Ibuka, Morita worked to expand the company until it first developed the Walkman portable music player in the 1970s.
Engineers, at that time, seemingly did not want to approve it. But the product became the brainchild of the founder.
While Sony was on the rise, Idei started working for it in 1960 after graduating from Waseda University. He began working in Sony's audio and video divisions before he was appointed the president in 1995.
Among his creations included the famous Vaio laptop.
Three years later, he became the chief executive after Norio Ohga handpicked him.
From there, he promoted the slogan "Digital Dream Kids" and pushed Sony's global expansion and more inventions, like the PlayStation video game and more entertainment products.
In 2000, he was appointed to lead Japan's IT Strategy Council to set up broadband networks across the country. But in 2003, the infamous Sony shock, during which Sony's stock nosedived, challenged him.
Fortunately, Sony managed to find its way back up before his retirement.
