Dennis Ritchie, the unsung hero in computer programming, has died at age 70, according to his longtime employer.

Dennis Ritchie is known to be the creator of the popular C programming language and helped create the UNIX operating software–—the operating system that is the foundation of newer OSes like Apple’s Mac OS X, iOS and the Microsoft Windows.

Ritchie died a month after his birthday, as reported by the Associated Press. Although his company confirmed his demise, they would not disclose the cause and time of his death. The New York Times, however, reported Ritchie died October 12 after a prolonged illness.

Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs, wrote in a blog post Thursday that Ritchie was “truly an inspiration to all of us, not just for his many accomplishments, but because of who he was as a friend, an inventor, and a humble and gracious man.”