Charles Geschke: Adobe and PDF co-creator dies at 81

In 1982, Geschke co-founded Adobe and PDF software, among many other audio-visual innovations.

Paying tribute to Geschke, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said that he ‘sparked the desktop publishing revolution’.

"This is a huge loss for the entire Adobe community and the technology industry, for whom he has been a guide and hero for decades," he wrote in an email to the company's employees.

"As co-founders of Adobe, Chuck and John Warnock developed ground-breaking software that has revolutionized how people create and communicate," he added.

In 1992, Geschke had made headlines when he was kidnapped at gunpoint and held for ransom four days.

He was later released unhurt after a suspect took police to the location where he was being held.

In 2009, Geschke was awarded with the National Medal of Technology by then US President Barack Obama.