Tethys Oil co-founder and former chairman Vincent Hamilton has died in Geneva at the age of the 50 after a lengthy battle against nueroendocrine cancer.

The Swedish explorer’s managing director Magnus Nordin said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Vince passed away today. Our thoughts are with his wife Mona and their three children.”

“Vince is severely missed by us all. His great passion for geology and oil exploration, his never ending enthusiasm and optimism will be deeply missed but never forgotten. His spirit and way of doing things will remain with Tethys forever,” Nordin said.

Vincent Hamilton co-founded Tethys Oil in 2001 and was the company’s chairman from its inception until October 2013, when he left to spend more time with his family and to spearhead a medical research foundation called Victory NET that sought new treatments for the disease.