Lou Ottens, the Dutch engineer who heralded a new age for music fans by inventing the cassette, has died at the age of 94 in his home town of Duizel in the south-eastern Netherlands.
The company Philips, for whom Ottens developed the compact cassette in 1963, confirmed his death on Thursday, as reported by dpa international.
His invention completely overhauled the music market, and he later also contributed to the invention of the CD.
“Lou was a special man,” Olga Coolen, head of the Philips museum in Eindhoven, said. “He loved technology, also the humble beginnings of his inventions.”
The incredible success of his invention surprised him, according to museum director Coolen. “More than 100 billion were sold worldwide,” she said.
