The first employee of BlackRock [profile], the man behind its famous Aladdin investment operating system, just died.

This afternoon the world's largest asset manager confirmed the death of co-president Charlie Hallac, 50, after a nearly four-year battle with cancer and 27-year career at BlackRock.

Hallac bought BlackRock's first computer server. He built out the nearly 2,000-person Aladdin team of modelers, programmers, and risk and data analysts. He founded BlackRock Solutions.

BlackRock chairman and CEO Larry Fink himself shared these words about Hallac:

Charlie was not only my partner for many years, but also a trusted and valued friend. He was a visionary who embodied our culture and was truly the heart and soul of BlackRock. His extraordinary innovations, including our unique Aladdin platform, have been central to our success, but his most important legacy is the generation of leaders molded by Charlie's tremendous ability to lead and mentor. His unrelenting focus and passion to transform our firm and industry through technology were unmatched. Charlie never lost that passion, and even as he battled cancer he continued his life's work, never complaining and constantly inspiring. Charlie's own inspiration was his wife Sarah and three wonderful children, David, Rebecca and AJ, and he was loved as well by his extended family at BlackRock. All of us will miss him greatly."

An alumnus of Brandeis University, Hallac worked in the mortgage products group at First Boston before joining BlackRock.

Hallac's family is directing donations in his memory to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 

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