Garry Betty, the president and CEO of EarthLink, has died from complications of cancer, an Associated Press report said.
Betty, 49, joined EarthLink in 1996 and oversaw the company's growth from a regional service provider with 500,000 subscribers to a national one with more than 5 million, the Associated Press report said.
He took a medical leave of absence in November. He was diagnosed with adrenocortical cancer, a tumor that occurs in the adrenal glands above the kidneys. He died at his Atlanta home, the report added.
Colleagues described Betty as an energetic man who often greeted people with the phrase 'How we doin'‾' He was a computer industry leader with Southern charm, credited with helping to develop personal computers and the Internet communications that connected them, the report said.
Mike Lunsford will remain as interim CEO, company officials said.