President of Sony for 13 years, Mr. Norio Ohga, died at the age 81, The Wall Street Journal reported.
He led Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures in 1989, the biggest purchase ever by a Japanese company at the time. He also signed off on creating the company's PlayStation unit in the early 1990s, which became one of its biggest businesses.
"It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony's evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and games, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader to Ohga-san's foresight and vision," Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer said in a statement.
Yet music would remain a major theme of his professional life. Mr. Ohga was a key executive in the development and running of Sony's music business from its early joint venture with, and ultimately its acquisition of, CBS Records Inc.
Mr. Ohga also took charge of Sony's design center, where the company's product lines were given sleek black styling that set them apart in the marketplace.
