Sim Wong Hoo Cause of Death: How the Tech Legend Passed Away

Sim Wong Hoo, the founder and CEO of Creative Technology, one of Singapore’s most successful tech companies, died on January 4, 2023, at the age of 67. His death came as a shock to many who knew him as a visionary, innovator, and marathon runner. What was the cause of his death and how did he leave behind a legacy in the tech industry?

A Sudden and Mysterious Death

According to Creative Technology, Sim Wong Hoo “passed away peacefully” without giving further details. Some social media users claimed that he had been suffering from heart disease for a while, but this was not confirmed by any official sources. One close friend said that he was found dead unexpectedly, while another source suggested that his death was likely due to cardiac arrest while in his sleep due to scar tissue build up in his heart as he pushed himself to run many marathons.

Sim Wong Hoo was known for his passion for running and had completed more than 50 marathons, including at least a dozen ultramarathons. He credited running for clearing his mind and sparking new ideas, while trimming his weight. He had appeared in good health when he was seen at work just a day before his death and had also attended a classmate’s wake in October.

His death left his friends, colleagues, and admirers in shock and grief. Many paid tribute to him at his wake in Choa Chu Kang and expressed their admiration for his achievements and generosity.

A Tech Pioneer and Entrepreneur

Sim Wong Hoo was born in 1955 into a Zhao’an Hokkien family in the Colony of Singapore. He attended Bukit Panjang Government High School and graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering in 1975. After serving his mandatory National Service, he worked in the private engineering sector for a year.

In 1981, he founded Creative Technology with his schoolmate Ng Kai Wa with a capital of S$10,000. They started by developing and selling add-on memory boards for the Apple II computer. They later created customized PCs adapted for the Chinese language, including enhanced audio capabilities that allowed the devices to produce speech and melodies.

In 1988, he established an office in the United States and began selling Sound Blaster, a stand-alone sound card that was among the first dedicated audio processing cards widely available to general consumers. Sound Blaster became a game-changer in allowing PCs to generate quality sound and dominated the PC audio market until the 2000s. Creative Technology became the first Singaporean company to list shares on the Nasdaq in 1992.

Sim Wong Hoo also ventured into other digital entertainment products, such as the Nomad MP3 player, which was launched in 1999, two years before Apple unveiled the iPod. He later sued Apple for patent infringement over their iPod products and won a US$100 million settlement in 2006.

In 2019, he made a comeback with Super X-Fi, an audio technology that he spent 20 years developing with a budget of US$100 million. The technology allows headphone users to experience sound in expansive, three-dimensional detail, like in real life.

Sim Wong Hoo won accolades from both industry and government for his innovations. He was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) by Singapore in 2001 for outstanding achievements in the business field. He was also the first person to receive the Singapore Business Awards’ Businessman of the Year award twice.

A Legacy That Lives On

Sim Wong Hoo’s death is a great loss for Singapore and the tech world. He was a trailblazer who put Singapore on the global map of technology and inspired many aspiring entrepreneurs with his vision and creativity. He was also a humble and generous man who cared for his friends and employees.

His interim successor, Song Siow Hui, who was president of Creative Labs business unit, said that the company will continue to realize Sim Wong Hoo’s vision and strategy. He said that Sim Wong Hoo was “full of fresh vision” and had extensive discussions with him and the engineering team on the future direction of the company.

Sim Wong Hoo’s cause of death may remain a mystery, but his legacy will live on through his products, his company, and his impact on the tech industry. He will be remembered as one of Singapore’s most influential tech legends who dared to dream big and make it happen.

Doms Desk

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