In a message posted on the White House’s Facebook page today, President Obama said he was “heartbroken” by the death of Dave Goldberg, the Silicon Valley technology executive and husband of Facebook Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg.
“He was generous and kind with everybody, and cared less about the limelight than making sure that the people he worked with and loved succeeded in whatever they did,” Obama said in the message, which was signed “-bo,” indicating that the president wrote it himself.
Sandberg responded to the post on Facebook saying: “Thank you President Barack Obama for this beautiful tribute – and for your friendship to our family. Dave Goldberg admired you for your leadership, passion, and your deep love of sports.”
How Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Made Their Marriage Work Dave Goldberg, Husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Dies Details of Dave Goldberg's Accidental Death Start to EmergeSandberg's boss, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, also commented on the post: “Thank you for this beautiful tribute.”
Goldberg, the CEO of Survey Monkey, was found lying next to a treadmill last Friday at a hotel gym near Puerto Vallarta. His brother, Robert, found Goldberg’s body, according to the attorney general for the Mexican state of Nayarit. His brother said Goldberg had fallen and hit the back of his head while running. He was alive when his brother found him, but later died from his injuries.
Sandberg updated her profile picture on Facebook, hours after the word spread of her husband’s death.