SAN FRANCISCO -- David Goldberg, the CEO of SurveyMonkey and husband of Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, died suddenly on Friday night. He was 47.
''Dave Goldberg was an amazing person and I am glad I got to know him," wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his Facebook page.
Mr. Goldberg was an established figure in the Bay Area's tech scene who was regarded as a mentor by younger industry executives. He was a former Yahoo and Capitol Records executive.
Sandberg portrayed him in her best-selling book "Lean In" as a diligent and warmhearted father whose domestic contributions helped Sandberg juggle life as both a prominent executive and mother of two children.
His death was confirmed by SurveyMonkey, which is known for its Web-based survey technology, although the company did not disclose the cause of death. Its employees were heartbroken to learn of Mr. Goldberg's passing.
''Dave's genius, courage and leadership were overshadowed only by his compassion, friendship and heart," the company said in a statement. "His greatest love was for his family. Our sympathy goes out to them and to all who were touched by this extraordinary man."
A spokesman declined to comment beyond the statement.
As news of his death spread, Mr. Goldberg's fellow CEOs took to social media to offer tributes. On Twitter, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called Mr. Goldberg the "kindest, most generous, loving father, loyal husband, great CEO &; sweetest friend." Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman called him "caring and kind." Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky called him "a great mentor and role model."
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo called the news "heartbreaking" in a tweet, and described Mr. Goldberg as "one of the truly great people on the planet ... of almost unimaginably remarkable character."
Goldberg helped grow SurveyMonkey into a business valued at close to $2 billion, according to media reports.
''He was one of the most respected people in Silicon Valley. Everyone liked, respected and looked up to him," said Robin Sloan Bechtel, founder of Bechtel Ventures. "He was a very savvy investor, but again was very humble and understated."
Those who knew Mr. Goldberg say he was generous.
When Dan Nainan got fired from his job at Capitol Records in the 1990s as an executive trainee, he thought he would never get a chance to work there again. But 18 months later, Mr. Goldberg called Nainan and asked if he would be interested in a new job there.
''I thought it was some sort of joke. I had been fired," Nainan said. "The thing that made me believe it could be plausible was it was Dave Goldberg."
Nainan didn't come back -- he's now a comedian and actor -- but always remembered the gesture.
''The last thing you expect when you get fired from a job is, 'Hey, do you want to come back?'" Nainan said. "It just showed an amazing amount of class."
David Goldberg, prominent tech executive and husband of Sheryl Sandberg, dies at 47
By Wendy Lee and J.K. Dineen, c. 2015 San Francisco Chronicle