Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh dies at 46

(Reuters) - Tony Hsieh, former chief executive officer and founder of online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos, died on Friday, the company said in a statement.

The Las Vegas, Nevada-based company did not mention the cause of his death but TechCrunch reported https://tcrn.ch/3mgA9CN, citing a spokesperson for Hsieh, that he died from injuries sustained in a house fire in Connecticut.

In tribute to Hsieh, Governor of Nevada Steve Sisolak said in a post on Twitter, "Tony Hsieh played a pivotal role in helping transform Downtown Las Vegas."

Hsieh retired this past summer after spending 20 years with the company, Zappos CEO Kedar Deshpande said in statement. https://bit.ly/3mhPDGQ

"The world has lost a tremendous visionary and an incredible human being," Deshpande said.

Amazon.com Inc, which bought Zappos for $1.2 billion in 2009, said "We are deeply saddened to hear of Tony Hsieh's untimely passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. Tony was a visionary leader and innovator who will be greatly missed."

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; editing by Diane Craft)