"We are deeply saddened by Paul's passing," Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement. "He was the relentless voice of the customer in a sea of engineers, and he taught us that we only win when we put the customer first."

Otellini joined Intel in 1974 and served various roles throughout his career, including chief operating officer from 2003 to 2005. He would go on to spend almost 40 years at the company. He was an intriguing choice as CEO, since he was the company's first non-engineer to hold that role.