Ray Dolby, the US engineer who founded Dolby Laboratories
and pioneered noise reduction in audio recordings, has died
in San Francisco aged 80.
Mr Dolby had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for several years
and was diagnosed with leukaemia this summer.
His name became synonymous with home sound systems and
cinema, and his work won many awards.
Kevin Yeaman, president of Dolby Laboratories, described Ray
Dolby as a "true visionary".
Mr Dolby was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in the San
Francisco area.
He began his career in the Ampex Corporation, helping to
develop early videotape recording systems while he was still a
student.
He then went on to complete his PhD at Cambridge University in
England and in 1965 founded Dolby Laboratories in London.
The company grew to be an industry leader in audio technology,
cutting background hiss in tape recordings and later bringing out
"surround sound".
Mr Dolby moved his company to San Francisco in 1976 and in
1989 was awarded an Oscar for his contributions to cinema. He
shared the award with Dolby executive Ioan Allen.
He also received a Grammy award in 1995 and Emmy awards in
1989 and 2005.
Mr Dolby's son, filmmaker and novelist Tom Dolby, said: "Though
he was an engineer at heart, my father's achievements in
technology grew out of a love of music and the arts.
"He brought his appreciation of the artistic process to all of his
work in film and audio recording."
Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, which hands
out the Grammy Awards, said Mr Dolby's innovations had
"changed the way we listen to music and movies for nearly 50
years".
"His technologies have become an essential part of the creative
process for recording artists and filmmakers, ensuring his
remarkable legacy for generations to come," he added.

source :

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24075429

Rip

RIP Ray Dolby!
You will surely be remembered for your work!

my question is Must most of these billionaires have cancer related ailments?