San Francisco

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has lost his father William H. Gates II, a lawyer and philanthropist. He was 94.

Gates died peacefully at his beach home in Washington state from Alzheimer's disease, the family announced Tuesday.

"My dad's wisdom, generosity, empathy, and humility had a huge influence on people around the world," Bill Gates wrote in a tribute.

"As I got older, I came to appreciate my dad's quiet influence on almost everything I have done in life. In Microsoft's early years, I turned to him at key moments to seek his legal counsel," Bill Gates added.

He said that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would not be what it is today without his dad.

"More than anyone else, he shaped the values of the foundation. He was collaborative, judicious, and serious about learning".

"The experience of being the son of Bill Gates was incredible. People used to ask my dad if he was the real Bill Gates. The truth is, he was everything I try to be. I will miss him every day," he said in the tribute.

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