Stephen E. Wilhite, the inventor of the first GIF (a.k.a. the Graphics Interchange Format), died last week at the age of 74. He reportedly passed away from COVID-19 complications. The Verge’s obituary on Wednesday notes Wilhite’s notorious 2013 interview with the New York Times, in which he let everyone know they were pronouncing “GIF†wrong. “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations,†he said. “They are wrong. It is a soft G, pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.†Period! Giphy posted a remembrance on Medium Wednesday: “GIPHY was built on a sincere love for the GIF — the simplicity of the format, the power of the looping image. We are indebted to the creativity and vision of Mr. Wilhite. Thank you so much for creating something that has been, and will long continue to be, enjoyed by millions of people around the world.†With it, Giphy reshared the first, trailblazing GIF Wilhite ever made: