Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has passed away at age 55.

"Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth", reads a statement from the publisher. Iwata-san had spent the last couple of years battling the growth discovered on his bile duct, which resulted in his absence at last year's E3.Iwata began working at Nintendo in the 1980s as a programmer, working at the HAL Laboratory. Much of the success of Kirby can be attributed to Iwata, who created the eponymous Dream Land in Kirby's debut on the Game Boy in 1992. He became a director of the company in 2000, and was appointed President of Nintendo in May 2002. Iwata oversaw the launch of the Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii and Wii U.

The Accomplishments of Nintendo's Satoru Iwata

During his tenure, Iwata placed a great deal of focus on accessibility and open communication with his fans. His role as the host of the "Iwata Asks" series of game developer interviews pulled back the curtain on the notoriously secretive company, and he was admired for his friendly and irreverent attitude.Iwata-san was with Nintendo through some of its best times - the Wii boom back in the mid 2000s - and the roughest - the tough launch of its successor.Nintendo said it has not decided who the next president will be. In the meantime, Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda will jointly run the company.Thank you Iwata-san.