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

Wieden formed Wieden + Kennedy with David Kennedy on April 1, 1982 in Portland. He stepped away from an everyday role with the company in 2015.

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.”

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Who was Dan Wieden?

Wieden was born in Portland, Oregon, on March 6, 1945. His parents were Duke Wieden who was in advertising, and his wife Violet.

Wieden attended Ulysses S. Grant High School in northeast Portland. In 1966, he married Bonnie Scott, and they had four children. After his first wife died in 2008, he married Priscilla Bernard in 2012.

After graduating from Grant, he enrolled at the University of Oregon in Eugene, graduating from its School of Journalism and Communication in 1967.

After college, he worked at Georgia-Pacific, then headquartered in Portland. After time as a freelance writer, he was hired at McCann-Erickson, an ad agency where he first met David Kennedy.

In 1981, Georgia-Pacific moved to Atlanta, and McCann-Erickson closed their Portland shop. Wieden moved to the William Cain advertising agency with Kennedy.

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The next year, on April 1, the two started their own advertising firm.

Wieden and David Kennedy were listed as number 22 on the Advertising Age 100 ad people of the 20th century. He was named one of America’s 25 most intriguing entrepreneurs by Inc.

Wieden has been Oregon’s Professional of the Year, Oregon’s Entrepreneur of the Year, one of the world’s 50 CyberElite by Time magazine, and one of 32 members of the One Club Creative Hall of Fame. He was featured in Doug Pray’s documentary Art & Copy.