Ad legend Dan Wieden, who coined Nike’s famous “Just Do It” slogan, died Friday at his Portland home. He was 77. 

Wieden formed Wieden + Kennedy with David Kennedy on April Fool’s Day 1982 in Portland. Wieden stepped away from an everyday role with the company in 2015.

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In a statement, Wieden + Kennedy said, on Sunday:

“We are heartbroken. But even more so, we are overcome with gratitude and love. Thank you Dan, for throwing the doors wide open for people to live up to their full potential. Thank you for your steadfastness, courage, faith and abiding love. Thank you for making this beautiful creative life possible. We will miss you so much.”

Over the years, the company became the world’s largest independent advertising agency. It was also responsible for the trailblazing documentary-style ad from Honda. 

Karl Lieberman, the agency’s current chief creative officer, likened Wieden to Lorne Michaels, the visionary behind “Saturday Night Live”.

“The reason it lasted so long was that he didn’t build an ad agency, he built a culture,” Lieberman said.

Oregon Historical Society Director Kerry Tymchuk said Wieden + Kennedy was very important for Portland.

“Just as companies like Nike and Columbia made Portland ground zero for the sports apparel industry, Dan Wieden and Wieden + Kennedy made it ground zero for the creative industry,” Tymchuk said. “Other advertising firsts, other marketing firms kept coming to Oregon because they got their start at Wieden + Kennedy or were attracted here to what Wieden + Kennedy was doing.”

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Since Nike adopted the slogan “Just do it,” its annual sales increased from $877 million to about $46 billion, The Oregonian reported.

Wieden was born and raised in Portland, graduating from Grant High School and the University of Oregon.