Audio pioneer Ray Dolby passed away yesterday at his San Francisco home, aged 80. Dolby was best known for being the founder of Dolby Laboratories in 1965, with his work contributing to a wide range of audio milestones throughout his life, including Dolby Noise Reduction that paved the way for analog magnetic tape recording.

His legacy will live on in his prolific label, which forms an essential part of many audio experiences, including cinemas, home theaters and audio-visual hardware. Dolby Labs continues to lead the industry in AV services, particularly in surround sound technology, where Dolby Atoms is providing the next-generation of multi-track, multi-speaker set-ups.

The news of Ray Dolby's passing follows a series of deaths in the audio industry, including Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, a German cryptographer famous for his work in the headphone and microphone industry, as well as Dr. Amar Bose, who pioneered the world of amplifiers, noise cancelling and audio systems. Sennheiser (1912-2010) and Bose (1929-2013) were 98 and 83 respectively when they died.

The Dolby name will continue on outside Dolby Labs through is wife, Dagmar, and two sons: Tom and David.