Bernie Marcus, Home Depot co-founder and philanthropist, has died

Zoom in: In the late 1970s, Marcus and Arthur Blank dreamed up and built a juggernaut in the home improvement retail world. The journey began with a handful of stores in metro Atlanta.

• Marcus, the son of Jewish immigrants, was the company's first chairman and CEO.
• After stepping down as chief executive in 1997, Marcus, a signatory of The Giving Pledge — a charitable campaign that encourages wealthy individuals to donate a majority of their wealth — gave more than $2 billion to back Jewish causes, research on stroke, autism and spinal cord injuries, and the construction of the Georgia Aquarium.
• He also was an outspoken supporter of Republican causes and candidates, most recently former President Donald Trump.
• Marcus gave more than $70 million to federal campaigns, mostly Republicans, in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 election cycles, the AJC reports, citing the Open Secrets campaign finance database.

What they're saying: "An icon of the business world who created jobs and opportunity for generations of The Home Depot employees, his considerable philanthropy will also reverberate through history, touching lives for the better," Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.

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