The man behind the now-iconic GIF image format has died at the age of 74. Stephen E. Wilhite, an American computer scientist, passed away on March 14 at a hospital near his home in Milford, Ohio. His wife, Kathaleen, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/23/1088410133/gif-creator-dead-steve-wilhite-kathaleen-wife-interview">NPR</a> that Wilhite died as a result of Covid-19 complications. She added that they had planned on visiting their favorite spots in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Michigan after purchasing a new truck. "It came on suddenly," Kathaleen said. "He woke up one morning and he said, 'Honey, I don't feel good. I don't feel good at all.' And he was running a fever, throwing up so badly. And then the next day he started coughing badly." Per <a href="https://people.com/human-interest/stephen-e-wilhite-creator-of-the-gif-dead-at-74/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PEOPLE</a>, Wilhite worked at an internet company named CompuServe in the 1980s, where he became the first person to create the Graphics Interchange Format - more commonly known now as the GIF. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/PhilippineStar/status/1506937879188029441]] As I'm sure everybody knows, the GIF has become a popular way to relay a comment, message, or joke on social media or in messaging apps. However, the image format was first invented in order to send "<a class="external-link" title="(opens new window)" href="https://www.w3.org/Graphics/GIF/spec-gif87.txt" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-describedby="external-disclaimer">high-quality, high-resolution graphics</a>" - in color, no less - back when the internet was much slower. Back in 2013, Wilhite also settled a long-standing debate among internet users who couldn't agree on how to pronounce "GIF" - with people disagreeing on whether or not it was a hard or soft 'g'. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtKxsuGvko]] But while receiving his coveted Lifetime Achievement Webby Award that year, Wilhite revealed in his five-word acceptance speech: "It's pronounced JIF, not GIF." Finally settling the long-running dispute. Paying tribute to the trailblazing computer scientist, the GIF-hosting website GIPHY shared the following message to its official Twitter: <blockquote>"The GIPHY team is sad to hear of the passing of Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the GIF file format. "GIPHY was built on a sincere love for the GIF — and we are indebted to the creativity and vision of Mr. Wilhite."</blockquote> [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/GIPHY/status/1506771483724496899]] According to his <a href="https://www.megiefuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=24311617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obituary</a>, Wilhite was a father to son David and a cherished stepfather to Rick, Robin, Renee, and Rebecca. He was also a proud grandfather to 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. It added that despite all his success, Wilhite had always remained a "very humble, kind, and good man". Our thoughts are with Wilhite's family, friends, and loved ones at this time. <h6>Featured image credit: YouTube/TheWebbyAwards</h6>

Stephen E. Wilhite, the creator of the GIF, has died

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