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Commodore founder and former Atari owner Jack Tramiel passes away
Computer and video game industry pioneer Jack Tramiel died today at the age of 83, his family reported. Tramiel, a Holocaust survivor, is best known for two achievements in the industry: the founding of Commodore International and the 1984 purchase of Atari Inc.'s post-crash consumer division from Warner.Tramiel helped (re)revive Atari by starting a computer business there, launching the Atari ST and other desktop computers alongside new video game hardware like the Atari 7800 and Lynx.
Commodore founder Jack Tramiel passes away at age 83
Terribly sad news from the family of Jack Tramiel today. The Polish-born businessman is perhaps best known in the technology universe for his founding of Commodore International, the company responsible for the Commodore 64, 128, Amiga, etc. Tramiel's story is an inspiring one; he was born into a Jewish family, and during World War II, was sent to Auschwitz. He was rescued in April of 1945, and some 39 years later he purchased Atari Inc.'s Consumer division and formed the Atari Corporation that is so well recognized in gaming lore. As first reported by Forbes, Martin Goldberg -- a writer working on a book about the Atari brand and the early days of video games and computing with Atari Museum founder Curt Vendel -- had this to say: "Jack Tramiel was an immense influence in the consumer electronics and computing industries. A name once uttered in the same vein as Steve Jobs is today, his journey from concentration camp survivor to captain of industry is the stuff of legends." Tramiel leaves behind his wife, three sons and their extended families.
