Jon Postel, the Internet pioneer who wielded enormous influence managing technical details of the global computer network, has died of complications from heart surgery in Los Angeles, friends in Washington said Saturday. He was 55.
Postel, considered by the Clinton administration to be a crucial player in the future of the Internet, died Friday night while recovering from surgery to replace a leaking heart valve, said Vint Cerf, a senior vice president for MCI Worldcom Inc. who worked closely with Postel.The death also was announced Saturday at an Internet conference in Barcelona, said Bill Semich, the president of .nu domain, another Internet company.
So powerful was Postel that "The Economist" once dubbed him "god" of the Internet.