Garry Betty, the man who led EarthLink through its transformation from a popular Internet service provider to a multimedia operator in voice, wireless, business services and data, died Tuesday due to complications from cancer.

Betty took a leave of absence from the company in November due to his declining heath, but his death at age 49 was a sad shock to many in the industry. EarthLink announced today that Mike Lunsford, who became interim CEO when Betty took his leave, will remain in that position.

Betty joined EarthLink in 1996 as the ISP, which was founded by Sky Dayton in 1994, was growing exponentially and earning awards for high-quality Internet service and its user-friendly approach.

“Garry was an extraordinary business partner and friend, and he will be sorely missed," said Dayton, who remains with the company as CEO of EarthLink’s wireless joint venture, Helio. “Garry was at once the general you wanted at your side in battle and the friend you wanted to celebrate with when the war was won. Garry accomplished so much and made life better for so many people, that as we mourn his passing, we also celebrate his achievements. Our thoughts and prayers are with Garry’s wife, Kathy, and the rest of his family.”

Betty brought strong leadership skills to EarthLink to aid Dayton, who founded the company in his early 20s. Prior to joining EarthLink, Betty himself was a youthful phenomenon as the youngest CEO of a New York Stock Exchange listed company when he led Digital Communications Associates out of a slump, managing the company through a successful reorganization that included three acquisitions and three divestitures. Prior to that, he worked at Hayes Microcomputer Products and at IBM.

Under Betty’s leadership, EarthLink merged with another ISP, Mindspring, in 1999-2000, and managed to survive the bursting of the dot.com bubble, which wiped out many independent ISPs. In the last two years, he has led EarthLink on an expansion plan that included creating two different kinds of VoIP services, one a line-powered primary line replacement service through a partnership with and investment in Covad Communications. In addition, EarthLink partnered with SK Telecom to create Helio, a wireless venture in the U.S. targeting the youth market, and created a municipal Wi-Fi unit to partner with cities and towns in building wireless networks. The company then bought New Edge Networks to expand its reach into business services.

The aggressive strategy to transform EarthLink into a voice, wireless and data service provider to both consumers and businesses was not without its risks. Last fall, EarthLink reported its first losses because of investments in its expansion plans.

Betty’s leadership had been recognized within the industry. He was included in the “Top 40 under 40” in Atlanta’s business community, received the Georgia Institute of Technology Young Alumnus of the Year award in 1993, and was inducted into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame, among other awards.

“We are greatly saddened by today’s news,” said Robert M. Kavner, chairman of EarthLink’s board of directors, in a prepared statement. “Garry was instrumental in building EarthLink into the company it is today. He leaves behind a tremendous record of achievement and an accomplished management team committed to pursuing his strategic vision.”

Visitors to EarthLink’s Web site -- www.earthlink.net -- can access a tribute site to Garry Betty, to which they can add personal comments or anecdotes.