Bill Atkinson, who died Thursday at 74, was an early engineer at Apple whose exceptional skill and ingenuity lives on in the fine details of graphic design. Given the limited resources of a Motorola 68000 CPU, he devised algorithms that could display rounded rectangles, render beautiful 1-bit dithered gradients and send ants marching. If you had a Mac in the 80s and loved it, you have much to thank him for: the menu bar, the selection lasso, MacPaint, HyperCard…
Dear Friends and Family,
We regret to write that our beloved husband, father, and stepfather Bill Atkinson passed away on the night of Thursday, June 5th, 2025, due to pancreatic cancer. He was at home in Portola Valley in his bed, surrounded by family. We will miss him greatly, and he will be missed by many of you, too. He was a remarkable person, and the world will be forever different because he lived in it. He was fascinated by consciousness, and as he has passed on to a different level of consciousness, we wish him a journey as meaningful as the one it has been to have him in our lives. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, stepson, stepdaughter, two brothers, four sisters, and dog, Poppy.
Apple CEO Tim Cook: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Atkinson. He was a true visionary whose creativity, heart, and groundbreaking work on the Mac will forever inspire us. Our thoughts are with his loved ones."
