RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Triangle entrepreneur Scot Wingo and Tony Hsieh were both ecommerce pioneers, and when news broke that Hsieh, the longtime CEO of Zappos, had died Wingo was quick to praise him.

“Sad news in the World of e-commerce, RIP Tony Hsieh,” tweeted Wingo.

“Learned so much from him and even if you disagreed, he was always pushing the envelope in multiple dimensions.”

Wingo cofounded and led ecommerce services provider ChannelAdvisor, which is based in the Triangle, in 2001. He now is an investor and CEO of vehicle maintenance startup Get Spiffy.

Like Hsieh, Wingo continues to push Get Spiffy into new markets and services.

Hsieh cofounded Zappos (original website: shoesite.com) in 1999. He retired from Zappos earlier this year. Zappos was acquired by Amazon in 2009.

Hsieh died peacefully and surrounded by family on Friday, according to a statement emailed to CNN by Megan Fazio, a spokesperson for DTP Companies, a Las Vegas-based enterprise for which Hsieh served as the visionary.

Hsieh, 46, died from injuries sustained in a house fire that occurred in Connecticut while he was visiting family, according to Fazio.

“Tony’s kindness and generosity touched the lives of everyone around him, and forever brightened the world,” said a statement from his family that was shared with CNN by Fazio.

His mantra: delivering happiness, his family says.

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“Instead of mourning his transition, we ask you to join us in celebrating his life,” their statement added.

Hsieh was well known for his leadership of online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos. He had recently retired after spending 20 years with the company, Zappos CEO Kedar Deshpande wrote in a statement Friday.

“The world has lost a tremendous visionary and an incredible human being,” Deshpande wrote. “We recognize that not only have we lost our inspiring former leader, but many of you have also lost a mentor and a friend.”

Hsieh also played a “pivotal role in helping transform Downtown Las Vegas,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote on Twitter.

“Kathy and I send our love and condolences to Tony’s family and friends during this difficult time,” he wrote.

Las Vegas Councilman Cedric Crear said he was “saddened” to hear the news.

“Such a creative & innovative person who positively helped change the landscape of Downtown Las Vegas,” he said on Twitter. “We have been working on some cool projects for Downtown. God speed to his family, coworkers and our community.”

More tributes for Hsieh poured in on social media early Saturday — many from other business leaders and entrepreneurs.

“Tony Hsieh was always generous with me,” Dan Price, the head of Seattle-based Gravity Payments, said. “He would talk to me about anything and it was always a good time. RIP Tony.”

He was a “truly original thinker, a brilliant entrepreneur, and a kind-hearted and generous friend to so many,” wrote Max Levchin, co-founder and former chief technology officer of PayPal.

“He questioned every assumption and shared everything he learned along the way,” said Chris Sacca, a billionaire tech investor, on Twitter. “The earth has lost a beautifully weird and helpful person.”

And in a tweet, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak sent condolences to Hsien’s family and friends, and said, “Tony Hsieh played a pivotal role in helping transform Downtown Las Vegas.”