Microsoft founder Allen to leave fortune to charity
MICROSOFT co-founder Paul Allen said he is committing the majority of his estimated $13.5bn (£8.8bn) fortune to philanthropy after his death.
Allen, who announced in November he was undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, follows in the footsteps of former business partner Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who have both pledged the vast majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
Allen, the 37th richest person in the world according to Forbes magazine, co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with Gates and resigned as an executive in 1983 as he overcame a first bout with cancer.
He has been involved with philanthropy in the US Pacific Northwest for 20 years, largely through his Paul Allen Family Foundation, handing out more than $1bn in grants and funding for local projects.
Allen owns the Seattle Seahawks American football team.