Zain Nadella, the son of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his wife Anu, died early Monday morning, according to the company. He was 26 years old and had cerebral palsy from birth.
In an email, the software company informed its top personnel that Zain had died. Executives were requested to keep the family in their thoughts and prayers while providing them space to grieve privately, according to the statement.
Nadella has focused the company on building products to better serve users with disabilities since taking over as CEO in 2014, citing lessons he learned while raising and supporting Zain. Last year, the Seattle Children’s Hospital partnered with the Nadellas to create the Zain Nadella Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosciences, which is part of the Seattle Children’s Center for Integrative Brain Research.
“Zain will be remembered for his eclectic taste in music, his brilliant sunny grin, and the enormous joy he provided to his family and all those who loved him,” Children’s Hospital CEO Jeff Sperring wrote in a message to his Board that was shared with Microsoft officials.
