Stephen Wilhite, the man who made the GIF format back in the 1980s, has passed away. He was 74.

Wilhite has died due to COVID-19 related complications. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren (via The Verge).

He was an employee at early internet company CompuServe, with the GIF being one of Wilhite’s biggest achievements. He left CompuServe in 2001 and retired, dedicating his years to his hobbies and families. Said hobbies include camping and model train building. You can pay your respects on the online obituary and remembrance site here.

We cannot stress how important GIFs are in this era of communication and the internet. While GIFs display animation in the smallest size possible, it’s now the de facto form of expression when talking to people online. For the record, it’s pronounced “JIF”, not “GIF”. It’s with a “J” according to Wilhite himself.