Mark Hurd, Oracle CEO and former Hewlett-Packard’s CEO, has died on Friday at the age of 62, declared the founder and chairman of Oracle Larry Ellison.
Ellison said, “Mark was my close and irreplaceable friend, and trusted colleague. Oracle has lost a brilliant and beloved leader who personally touched the lives of so many of us during his decade at Oracle. All of us will miss Mark’s keen mind and rare ability to analyze, simplify and solve problems quickly.”
Oracle and Hewlett-Packard (HP) are the most celebrated companies in Silicon Valley.
In September, Hurd announced that he is taking a leave of absence from Oracle for health reasons that were not specified. At that time, he said, “I’ve decided that I need to spend time focused on my health.”
Hurd had been the CEO and Board Director of Oracle since 2014. He worked alongside Safra Catz, who also holds the designation of Oracle CEO. After Hurd left in September, Ellison took over his responsibilities.
Hurd joined Oracle in 2010, a month after he left Hewlett-Packard’s CEO position over sexual harassment allegations. HP said that Hurd failed to inform the board about his “personal relationship” with actress Jodie Fisher, former marketing contractor for HP.
In 2010, Ellison slammed HP for leaving Hurd. He said, “It is the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago.”
Born in New York City, Hurd graduated from Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School, in Miami, Florida, in 1975.
In 1979, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University, Waco, Texas.
Hurd was married to his wife, Paula, an executive with NCR, in 1990, and had two daughters, Kathryn and Kelly.
