Wang Jiangmin, one of the most legendary figures in Zhongguancun, China's "Silicon Valley", died of a heart attack at the age of 59 on Saturday, the Beijing News reported Tuesday.
Wang was chairman of Beijing Jiangmin New Science & Technology Co, one of the largest anti-virus software providers in China. He had the heart attack while fishing in western suburbs of Beijing.
Wang set up the company in Zhongguancun as its founder, chairman and president in 1996. According to Cao Lingxiang, general manager of the planning department, the company ranked fifth in China's anti-virus software market and third as a domestic software provider in 2008.
Cao said the death of Wang would not affect the company's normal operations as Wang had not been concerned with operations of the company since 2003. President Tao Xinyu is now at the helm.