Bill Hewlett, revered Hewlett-Packard co-founder and one of the world's foremost business leaders, technologists and philanthropists, died at home in his sleep at 8 a.m. PST, January 12 of natural causes. He was 87 years old.

"Our hearts go out to the families, as we join them in mourning the loss of a great and gentle man," said Carly Fiorina, HP Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We, as stewards of his legacy, will cherish and nurture Bill's bright spirit of invention, remembering and celebrating the rich heritage that he and Dave entrusted us with."

Memorial services were held Saturday, January 20, at Stanford Memorial Church on the Stanford University Campus in Palo Alto, California.

The venture that Hewlett and his long-time partner and good friend Dave Packard founded in a Palo Alto, California, garage in 1939 has grown into two companies: Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. HP had total revenue of $48.8 billion (US) in its FY00 fiscal year and has more than 88,500 employees worldwide. The legendary garage-designated the birthplace of Silicon Valley-is a California state historical landmark.

Agilent had net revenue of more than $10.8 billion for FY00 and has more than 47,000 em-ployees. Packard died March 26, 1996, at the age of 83. During his lifetime, Hewlett received doz-ens of high professional honors. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was co-founder of the American Electronics Association; a member of the National Academy of Engineering, which gave him its Founders' Award in 1993; a life fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; and an honorary lifetime member of the Instrument Society of America.

Surviving Hewlett are his widow, Rosemary Bradford Hewlett, and five children from his first marriage to the late Flora Hewlett: Eleanor Hewlett Gimon, Walter Hewlett, William Hewlett, James Hewlett and Mary Hewlett Jaffe. In addition, he is survived by five stepchildren from his second marriage: David Bradford, Robert Bradford, Peter Bradford, Deborah Bradford Whelan and Jeffrey Bradford