Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner has died at the age of 58, just two days after he took a medical leave of absence.
While the exact cause of death has not been announced, Goldner disclosed in August 2020 that he had been undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer since 2014. Only two days before his death, Goldner took an immediate leave of absence, and left Rich Stoddart as the toy company's interim CEO. At the time, Goldner said he felt "Hasbro's future couldn't be brighter".
In Hasbro's announcement of his passing, it described Goldner as a "visionary" and "the heart and soul of Hasbro", saying his "leadership, kindness, and generosity made him beloved by the Hasbro Community and everyone he touched." Lead independent director of Hasbro's board of directors, Edward M. Philip, said "Brian's passing is a tremendous loss for Hasbro and the world… a mentor and a friend to so many, his passion and creativity took Hasbro to new heights."
Goldner started out at Hasbro in 2000, where he worked for the Tiger Electronics subsidiary, and managed to successfully pull it from the dire situation it was in, where it was haemorrhaging employees and struggling on the stock market.
Goldner became the CEO of Hasbro in 2008, after serving as an executive producer on the first of Michael Bay's Transformers movies, which were credited with pushing Hasbro back into the spotlight. As CEO, he oversaw the continuation of the Transformers franchise, helped make My Little Pony the massive success it was in the early-mid 2010s, and transformed Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast from a subsidiary into a fully-fledged division of Hasbro.
Outside of toys and games, Goldner also pushed for the 2019 acquisition of media company eOne, who produces and distributes shows and movies such as The Walking Dead, Haven, Criminal Minds, Grey's Anatomy, Trailer Park Boys, Love And Monsters, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie due for release in 2022.
Rich Stoddart will serve as Hasbro's interim CEO for the foreseeable future while a successor is found.