Jack Welch, the former chairman and CEO of General Electric has died, his wife announced Monday.

He was 84.

“More than anything else — leader, business icon, management genius — more than those things, although they are all true too — Jack was a life force made of love,” Welch’s wife, Suzy, said in a statement released to CNBC. “And somehow, crazily somehow, he also managed to be the greatest husband and step-father who ever lived, giving our family twenty amazing years of adventure, happiness, and joy. Our hearts, so much larger and fuller having known and loved him, are broken.”

Welch began at GE in 1960 as a chemical engineer. In 1981, he became the chairman and CEO of GE, at the age of 45.

Under his leadership, GE became the world’s most valuable company, after Microsoft. He earned the nicknames “manager of the century,” and “Neutron Jack,” due to his reputation for cutting thousands of jobs.

GE bought and sold many businesses under Welch’s leadership, including RCA — the then-owner of NBC. NBCUniversal is the parent company of NBC News.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.