Comcast founder Ralph Roberts has died. He was 95. His death was announced Friday by the company.
Roberts, who also served as the company's chairman emeritus, founded Comcast when he bought a small cable system in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1963. From there, the company grew to the country's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers.
His son, Brian Roberts, now serves as the company's chairman and CEO.
Ralph was a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and served in the Navy, according to his company biography.
"Ralph Roberts has had a remarkable life, and a consistent one, too," Brian Roberts said in the foreword to the biography "An Incredible Dream" by William Novak. "In every setting—whether in the office, over dinner at his favorite greasy spoon, or painting a schoolhouse wall during Comcast Cares Day—he has always been optimistic, warm, and encouraging."
"Whenever I've seen him at the podium with his self-effacing smile, I've had the same thought: Sometimes the good guys really do finish first," Brian Roberts continued in the 2012 book.
Full disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC/CNBC.com and NBC News/NBCNews.com.
