Former Sega of America president and Sony Computer Entertainment America vice president Bernie Stolar has passed away.

The news was shared by GamesBeat, which said that Stolar's funeral service took place in Los Angeles over the weekend.

Stolar was a prominent figure in the games industry for decades and worked on the original PlayStation while at Sony, helping to launch the popular system while also signing key franchises including Crash Bandicoot, Ridge Racer, and Spyro the Dragon.

During his time at Sega, Stolar led development on the Dreamcast and acquired Visual Concepts, which was eventually sold to Take-Two Interactive and used by the publisher to create its 2K label.

Later on, Stolar became an advisor and director at in-game advertising company Adscape Media, which would later be purchased by Google.

Google then brought Stolar on board as its own games evangelist, helping the influential figure add to his already extensive résumé.

Those who knew Stolar have been paying tribute on social media after hearing news of his passing.