Renowned American computer programmer who reportedly invented the e-mail system in 1971, Ray Samuel Tomlinson, has died at the age of 74.
Reports say he died of an apparent heart attack on Saturday, March 5, 2016.
![Ray Samuel Tomlinson who created the email has died at 74.](https://www.thetrentonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Ray-Tomlinson-first-email-at-sign_large1.jpg)
Gmail, one of many offshoots of Tomlinson’s creation in a message on Twitter, wrote: “Thank you, Ray Tomlinson, for inventing email and putting the @ sign on the map. #RIP“
Thank you, Ray Tomlinson, for inventing email and putting the @ sign on the map. #RIP
— Gmail (@gmail) March 6, 2016
Tomlinson is credited as the first man to send an email and applauded for commandeering the @ symbol as a way to simplify how it works.
Although there has been a wide debate on social media over the authenticity of the claims that Tomlinson really created the email.