SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Dr. John E. Warnock, the co-founder of software giant Adobe and a Utah native, died on Saturday at the age of 82.

In a company-wide email sent to employees, Adobe Chair and CEO Shantanu Narayen called Warnock’s passing a sad day for the Adobe community and the industry for which he had been an inspiration for decades.

“John’s brilliance and technology innovations changed the world,” said Narayen.

Warnock, alongside Dr. Chuck Geschke, founded Adobe in 1982. Since then Adobe has continued to follow through with its mission to empower everyone to imagine, create, and bring digital experiences to life. Adobe now has several applications including Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and more. It also brought forth the innovative PDF format for digital document sharing.

As a Utah native born in Salt Lake City, Warnock attended the University of Utah where he graduated with several degrees. He graduated with a doctorate in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in mathematics and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and philosophy, all of which came from the U of U. The University also awarded Warnock an honorary degree in science.

In recognition of his achievements, in 2009 President Barack Obama awarded Warnock the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

“While the impact that his innovations have had are countless, it is his indomitable spirit, passion and belief in building a company with strong values that have impacted all of us who had the good fortune of working at Adobe,” said Narayen. “John was incredibly insightful on which technologies would delight customers as well as create business value.”

Warnock is survived by his wife, Marva Warnock, and his three children.