New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Online furniture store Pepperfry co-founder and CEO Ambareesh Murthy has passed away at the age of 51 due to cardiac arrest in Leh, fellow co-founder Ashish Shah announced in a tweet on Tuesday. 

"Extremely devastated to inform that my friend, mentor, brother, soulmate @AmbareeshMurty is no more. Lost him yesterday night to a cardiac arrest at Leh. Please pray for him and for strength to his family and near ones," he wrote.

Tributes poured in on Twitter (now X) after hearing that Murty is no more. "Very sad my second boss and what a mentor he was ... I messaged him two days back and he was okay. Got him added to PruICICI group where a reunion is getting planned," a user wrote.

"So sad & shocking to hear of Ambareesh Murty's sudden demise due to cardiac arrest. May his soul rest in peace. An amazing entrepreneur & inspiration to many... may his legacy with Pepperfry live on. RIP," another user said.

Murty's business career began in June 1996, when he joined Cadbury as a Sales and Marketing professional. He worked for the renowned chocolate manufacturer for five and a half years.

He ventured into the financial sector, gracing Prudential ICICI AMC (now ICICI Prudential) with his expertise. His tenure as Vice President of Marketing and Customer Service lasted nearly two years.

A five-month stint at Levi's followed, and it was during this time that the seeds of entrepreneurship were sown, as he launched his own company, Origin Resources. This portal was designed to assist Indian mutual fund companies.

He sold the company in 2005 and went to work for Britannia as a marketing manager. Murty joined eBay India seven months later as the country manager for the Philippines, Malaysia, and India. Six years later, Murty co-founded Pepperfry with Ashish Shah in June 2011.